Escalating Love
by NintendoGal55
Summary: A SuprNintendo production. The sequel to "Arnold Loves Helga". What will happen in particular episodes now that Arnold and Helga have been on a date? The answers are here in this new reality. ON HOLD.
1. Love and Cheese

**A/N:**

**Hey you guys! We're back again!/You know you love it!!!**

**NintendoGal55: Well, we all know how much you guys were DYING for a sequel to our first collaboration "Arnold Loves Helga", so...**

**SuprSingr: We wrote one. Duh.**

**NintendoGal55: The first "episode" here is "Love and Cheese" :D**

**SuprSingr: And take it from us, it's really gouda. *Snickers* Yeah, I know it was lame. But sooooooooo worth it.**

**The following is a SuprNintendo production, written by SuprSingr and NintendoGal55.**

**Disclaimer: We're only going to say this once. We do NOT own anything!/Remember that, Short Attention Span peoples. **

--~~--

It was a whole new day, just as everyday always was. Nothing in particular about today, except that it was one step closer to the annual Cheese Festival that was to take place about a week from now. Decorations had gone up around the neighbourhood, and the attractions area was almost finished preparing, and all the cheese was being made like crazy.

Another crazy year.

Especially when it concerned a certain football-headed nine-year-old boy.

The said boy was walking home with Gerald one afternoon after school, completely lost in thought about something he'd been thinking about since the ads and buzz about the upcoming Cheese Festival began. He was so inwardly troubled with these thoughts that he barely even heard Gerald as he was talking about a "not date" he'd had with Phoebe the night before.

"Then we get to her house and I laid one right on her cheek! It was pretty nice man, she giggled and her cheeks were all pink! Man, Phoebe sure is cute when she's all-hey, Arnold? Hey Arnold!" Gerald waved his hand in front of his best friend's face. "Wake up!"

"H-Huh? What?" Arnold blinked, coming back to reality. "O-Oh, sorry, Gerald. What were you saying?"

"Nothin' man. What's with you? You've been actin' weird all week, especially when the Cheese Festival announcements started! Come to think of it, you've been in a daze ever since your date with Helga. Was it really THAT bad?"

It occurred to Arnold then that he'd never actually told Gerald what happened during his date with Helga. That had been nearly three weeks ago, and it was still very fresh and burned in his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about it, and everything that happened. Granted, he'd had such a great time with her, it was no wonder. And yet, he just couldn't let it go. He couldn't leave it behind as a great memory. It was so much more than that.

Not to mention he was still unsure of his answer to Gerald's teasing question at the time, whether or not he loved Helga.

That was still tough. Yet, at the same time, he was leaning a little more toward yes, but he wasn't sure at all. He still needed more closure on how he felt, and on how she felt, and anything else in between. He already knew he liked her a lot, when she was actually being herself, he liked spending time with her, they had quite a bit in common, enough to "get" each other, and yet their differences were strangely very complimentary.

It was funny. They were so different in some aspects, and yet, so alike.

"Gerald... I...." Arnold sighed, and came to see the boarding house coming into view. "...I'll tell you inside."

"Well, okay, if it makes you feel better." Gerald shrugged.

They went the rest of the way to the boarding house, and Arnold opened the door, which immediately released the barrage of animals. The boys went inside and shut the door behind them.

"Hey there, short man!" Phil greeted on his way to the living room. "What are you boys up to today?"

"Nothing Grandpa, we're just going to do homework for a while."

Phil nodded and gave a thumbs up. "Understood, Arnold! You two get cleaned up before you come down for dinner, Pookie has a real treat tonight!"

"Does her cooking even qualify as that?" Gerald muttered as he followed after Arnold.

"I guess so." Arnold replied absently, pulling down the cord to reveal the stairs leading up to his room.

They went up into his room and Arnold shut the door behind him, taking his remote and flipping the couch out from the wall. Gerald sat on it, staring at his best friend as he paced around the room, a mix of emotions on his face.

"Okay Arnold, you mind telling me what REALLY happened?"

Arnold took a deep breath and exhaled, deciding to just come out with it. It was just him and Gerald, none of their peers were around to hear any of this. The whole "Arnold loves Helga" craze had died down a week after their date, though there was the occasional tease from a random student that would happen once every other day or so. They'd pretty much accepted the incredibly bogus lie that their date had been terrible.

"Gerald...I had a great time with Helga. Our date wasn't the least bit terrible. I really enjoyed it." Arnold admitted. Despite his uncertainty, he managed a soft, almost dreamy smile on his face. "We had a great time together."

He turned around to face Gerald, finding his best friend staring at him wide-eyed, his mouth slack.

"Say what?! You had a GOOD TIME on a DATE with HELGA?! Helga G. Pataki?! The same Helga who makes your life a living nightmare?! THAT same Helga?!"

"Gerald! Not so loud!" Arnold cried, and then nodded. "Yes, Gerald. The same Helga we all know from class. We actually had a really, really good date."

Gerald stared at him wide-eyed. "Huh?" He managed to squeak out.

Arnold sighed and began pacing again as he spoke, "Gerald, we actually had a really good time together. We had a lot in common, we could really relate to eachother, and she..." He stopped, staring off into space. "she's really cool... we even..." He blushed, looking away. "we even, sorta... kissed." He blushed heavily, still not meeting Gerald's eyes.

"You KISSED HELGA G. PATAKI?!" He screeched.

Arnold's eye went wide with alarm, and he lunged forward, covering Gerald's mouth with one hand. "Yes, okay. Now please be quiet. We told everyone our date went awful so they'd stop accusing us of being a couple." He released Gerald's mouth.

Gerald gawked at him, blinking in astonishment. "But-and the-who in the-why is- and you just-and she's..." He blinked, sitting there and looking straight forward with a baffled look on his face.

Arnold sighed, and sat himself up on his couch, next to Gerald with a pensive look on his face.

Gerald took a few, deep, calming breaths, and then looked over at Arnold. "Okay, I'm going to ignore the fact that what you just said is humanly impossible, and skip down to why you're acting so weird. So... why are you acting so weird?"

Arnold sighed, resting his head in his hand with his elbow propped up on his knee. "Well... we both agreed it would probably be best if we just kept how our date actually went to ourselves... but..." He sighed again.

Gerald blinked, leaning in a little. "But what?"

He looked over to Gerald. "We also agreed that we really shouldn't go out anymore... but I really would like to go out with her again.... I've been thinking that I might... ask her to go to the Annual Cheese Festival with me."

Gerald blinked at him with dull eyes. "So...?"

Arnold sighed again. "So I'm afraid to ask her. What if she says no?"

Gerald's eyes lit up in understanding, and he nodded, sitting up again. "Okay, I think I know where you're coming from... Are you sure you want to ask her?"

"Yes, Gerald, I'm sure I want to ask her." He sat up, still looking over at Gerald.

Gerald sighed, and looked away. "Why?" His eyes sprang then with fear, and he looked over at Arnold with wide eyes. "Don't tell me that you really do love her now, Arnold!"

Arnold blinked at his outburst, and leaned back a little. "No! Yes! I mean... I don't think I do..." He twiddled his thumbs a little, looking down at them as opposed to Gerald's eyes.

Gerald gawked at him. "You don't THINK you do? What does that mean?"

"It means... I don't know!" He let his head fall into his hands, and he sighed heavily.

Gerald blinked at him, his mouth still slightly agape. "You don't know?"

Arnold nodded, his face still in his hands. "I. Don't. Know." He lifted his face from his hands, and looked up at Gerald. "I really like her, okay? But... ugh, I don't know about love. I don't think I love her. I mean, I'm only nine. But that doesn't matter right now. All I know is that I like her, and I want to ask her to the Cheese Festival. But I'm afraid she'll turn me down."

"Why would it matter, man? You can always go with someone else if she says no." Gerald offered.

"Gerald, you don't understand. I don't want to go with anyone else." Arnold sighed, lifting his head from his hands a little. "I mean, if I was asking someone like Sheena or Nadine, even Rhonda, it wouldn't matter so much if they turned me down. But I really want to go with Helga, and if she says no...." His voice trailed off.

"You're gonna be real disappointed and probably not smile for about two days." Gerald said listlessly.

Arnold sighed again, his hands falling to his lap. "I know it sounds crazy, Gerald, and believe me, even I have trouble believing it myself. But I know for sure that I want to go with her."

"Then go ask her. Hey, she dragged you into that date, maybe it's your turn to do the same."

"I would never con her like that."

"Of course you wouldn't, you got more class than that. Look man, all I'm sayin' is that you should ask her when you're alone with her. Like...I know! Write her a note telling her to meet you at the park tomorrow after school, that you got something important to talk to her about. Then you're at the park, she shows up, you ask her out, without our friends in sight, and she'll accept! Come on man, you never know unless you give it a try. I hate to say this, but if goin' with her makes you happy...guess I can't turn my back on you." Gerald said, and sighed.

"...Well, I guess it's worth a shot. Maybe she'll be more inclined to say yes if I ask her in private." Arnold said thoughtfully.

"So you gonna do it or not?"

"...Yeah, I'll do it, Gerald." Arnold said after a moment's hesitation. "I guess you're right, I won't know unless I try. I know Helga had fun on our date too, so maybe she won't mind going out with me again. She might even dress up for it like she did on our date. She looked really pretty, and she wore her hair down..." His gaze became lovesick and his tone was dreamy. "She looked really pretty, and her eyes were like sparkling blue pools, and her smile was so radiant and captivating, practically lighting up the whole room and the way she laughed..."

Gerald looked at his best friend incredelously, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. Oh no. This wasn't good. Arnold was in "crush on a girl" mode. Normally that was okay, albeit a little nauseating sometimes, but over Helga? He had to stop it.

"Arnold, hey Arnold! Arnold? Arnold! Hey Arnold!"

But Arnold wasn't paying attention then as he began to daydream, with a half-lidded, lovesick smile on his face, his head perched in his hands with his elbows resting on his legs.

--~~

_"Here Helga, I won the teddy bear for you." Arnold presented a life-sized teddy bear to her._

_"Well gosh, thanks, Arnold! You are such a thoughtful friend." Helga beamed at him, taking the teddy bear._

_"It's nothing really, I just like making you happy." Arnold said modestly._

_Helga giggled. "You're too much, football head."_

_--_

_The two were eating a roll of noodle-shaped cheese, not quite realizing they had the same strand. As they at ate it, they grew closer and closer and closer, until their lips brushed against each other's._

_Both of their eyes widened and they blushed, pulling away and giggling._

_--_

_Now they were on the Tunnel of Love, which may seem strange as an outing between two friends, but it felt so right._

_"Wow, I'm having so much fun with you here today."_

_"I'm glad I took a chance and asked you."_

_Helga smiled at him sweetly, batting her eyelashes. "Well, I'm glad you asked me."_

_Arnold gave a half-lidded smile, and then took her hand in both of his, kissing it tenderly._

--

"Ewww! Arnold!!!" Gerald cried as Arnold was so lost in his daydream that he ended up kissing his hand.

"Oh, sorry Gerald." Arnold quickly let go.

Gerald shuddered a little, wiping his hand on his shirt. "Arnold, you are one sick puppy."

Arnold blushed and looked away. "Um..."

Gerald shook his head, and stood up from his seat, then walked over a little to stand directly in front of Arnold. "Arnold, admit it. You've got a crush on her."

Arnold's eyes widened. "Huh?! No! I... I..." His eyes darted around.

Gerald sighed, looking him straight in the eye. "Admit it, man. Only one thing would have led to you suddenly kissing my..." He stuck his tongue out. "...hand." He shook his head, gaining back his composure and crossing his arms over his chest. "You've got a crush on her, man. Big time." He pointed a finger in his face accusingly.

Arnold frowned a little, but then sighed, bringing his hand up to push Gerald's finger down. "Okay, maybe I do. But this'll just be a friends thing. I'll ask her to go as friends. Nothing more." He stood up from his seat then. "Besides, she probably doesn't like me like that anyway. So it doesn't really matter if I have a crush on her." He waved his arms dismissively, and walked over to his door.

Gerald blinked. "Where are you going?"

Arnold looked at him over his shoulder, opening up his door. "To buy some cologne." He walked out the door, and then closed it firmly behind him.

Gerald stood there, his arms still crossed over his chest. He shook his head. "Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm, he's got it bad."

--------

Arnold sat in class, staring down at a blank piece of paper, pencil in hand. He bit his lip, as he slowly, hesitantly began writing.

_Helga,_

He shook his head, erasing it, and starting again.

_Dear Helga,_

He growled a little, erasing again and starting over.

_Hey Helga,_

He sighed, erasing and starting again.

_My dearest Hel-_

He erased that one quick, and let out a breath of frustration, starting over once again.

_Helga,_

_Meet me at the park after school. I have something important I need to ask you._

_-Arnold_

He read it over, sighing to himself before folding it a couple times.

The bell rang then for recess, and Arnold raced out the door, note in hand.

While everyone was still filing out of their seats, Arnold quickly stuffed the note into Helga's locker, and then turned, looking around nervously to make sure no one saw.

"I'm TELLING you Pheebs, _Dark Side of the Moon _totally synchs up with _The Wizard of Oz_!"

"Oh, I think I heard someone saying that one time..."

Arnold managed to duck away behind a corner just as Helga and Phoebe emerged from class, heading over to her locker. He peeked over, to see Helga's reaction when she found his note.

"Trust me, Pheebs, I know what I'm talking about." Helga opened her locker to put her books away, not quite noticing the slip of folded paper fall out and land on her shoe.

Phoebe did, though. She bent down and picked it up, eyeing it curiously. "Helga, this fell out of your locker."

"Huh?" Helga looked and saw the paper in her hand. "Weird, what's this?" She unfolded it, and read the note. Her eyes widened and a soft blush came to her cheeks.

"Helga? Are you all right? What is it?" Phoebe asked, though she knew very well what it had to have been. It was definitely something that involved Arnold, for sure.

"Oh, er...it's nothing." Helga tucked it away into an inner pocket of her dress, where her locket nestled. "Just Arnold telling me to meet him at the park. Huh, wonder why. Guess I'll humour the little geek and see what he wants."

"Oh! Well gosh, did it say-"

"Not now, Pheebs. We're still in school. This conversation and situation never happened." Helga waved it off dismissively.

"Right, forgetting!" Phoebe gave her a thumbs up.

Arnold released the breath he'd been holding and hurried off down the hall before they turned the corner. At least she was going to meet him at the park! Now he just had to work up the nerve to ask her when the time came.

----

"So how'd it go?" Gerald wanted to know as he got into the swing next to Arnold's. "Did Helga see you?"

"No, no one saw me." Arnold said. "She got my note and said that she'll meet me at the park."

"Well I'll be danged. Looks like there IS a heart beneath that stone cold outside of her." Gerald remarked.

"Come on Gerald, she's really nice once you get to know her. She just acts mean because she's insecure about herself, that's all."

"Whatever you say, Arnold. It's your life."

Arnold gave a small sigh and looked across the playground, seeing Helga playing hopscotch with Phoebe. He couldn't help but smile a little while he watched her tipsy wobbling as she stood on one foot on the spot she landed on, smiling and giggling.

He took a deep breath and decided to try rehearsing how he could ask her to the Cheese Festival.

"Hey Helga, how's it going? I was wondering if maybe you'd...no... Helga! Heeeyy, how about we....no.... Hi Helga, want to go to the Cheese Festival with me, just as friends?"

Gerald stared at him weirdly and shook his head. "Arnold....you're doin' it all wrong."

"I'm trying not to, Gerald." Arnold groaned. "It's just hard, I'm pretty nervous."

"Mmm mmmm mmm, I figured as much. Well, you are gonna need some helpin' tips from the Master."

"And by the master, you mean you." Arnold dead panned, although he couldn't help but smile a little.

Gerald smiled at him suavely, and stood up. "Yeah, man. All the ladies are always after me." He grinned proudly.

Some girls walked by, and Gerald smiled at them. "Hey ladies." He winked.

"Ugh, dream on, Hairy."

"I'll do that." He sat back down in the swing then, watching them walk on.

Arnold snickered a little, and Gerald just shook his head. "Ah, what do they know? I could win them over easy if I wanted to. They're just not hot enough for me." He humphed, and then looked back of over at Arnold. "But you need my help, buddy. Bad."

Arnold sighed, knowing that Gerald probably could help. "Okay, fine. What do I say?"

Gerald grinned at him. "Glad you asked." He swung the swing closer to Arnold, and put his arm around his shoulders as he spoke smoothly. "You've gotta lay on the charm, man. Play it smooth. Act like you're not the least bit nervous."

Arnold blinked, looking over at him curiously. "Really? You think that would work?"

"Of course it will. Chicks dig that stuff. Just act cool and confident. March right on up to her, and ask her to the Cheese Festival." He patted him on the back, and withdrew his arm.

Arnold looked away, thoughtfully. "I don't know... Helga isn't exactly like most girls..."

"Hey, man. A girls a girl." He shrugged.

Arnold blinked at him, but then sighed. "Okay, I guess I've got nothing to lose."

Gerald grinned at him. "That's right. Remember... cool and confident."

"Cool and confident." Arnold repeated.

~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~

Helga walked into the park, looking around for any flashes of blonde or footballs.

Gerald nudged him forward from several feet away, behind a tree. "There she is. Go." He pushed him forward more.

Arnold gulped, feeling his feet moving forward, a small daisy he'd found in the park in hand.

Helga turned, seeing him approaching, and raised one side of her eyebrow.

Arnold walked up in front of her then, and faltered. "Um, Helga, I... here." He handed her the flower.

Helga took it wordlessly, staring down at it, then up at him. She blinked. "Arnold, what the heck is this about?"

Arnold bit his lip, looking away. 'Cool and confident...' Gerald's words rang through in his mind. He took a deep breath, before smiling at her and crossing his arms over his chest coolly. "I just wanted to ask you if you'd want to go to the annual Cheese Festival with me." He said smoothly, while on the inside he felt he was about to explode from nerves.

Helga gawked at him, and her eyes widened. The flower fell from her grasp, though she didn't notice. "What did you just ask me?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the cheese festival with me... you know, as friends." He added quickly, feeling his confidence drop.

"Really?"

"Yes," He began rubbing the back of his neck then, and his gaze fell to the ground. "But if you don't want to... it's okay." He said quietly. "I mean, why would you want to go with a football head like me? It was just stupid of me to ask. I'm sorry I wasted your-"

"Okay."

Arnold stopped mid-sentence, and he looked up at her, blinking. "What?"

"Okay, I'll go with ya, Football head." She smiled.

"Really?" He asked once more, just to be sure. She nodded, and he grinned. "Well, great! Um...so, it's next Saturday, I'll pick you up at...say, four?"

"Four's fine. Guess I'll see you then, I gotta get home." Helga turned to go, but was stopped when he grabbed her hand.

"Actually, um...would you mind if I walked you home?" Arnold blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Sure, Arnold..." She said, and then shook her head frantically. "I mean, yeah. Whatever floats your boat, football head."

--~~--

From where he was hidden behind a tree, Gerald gave a smile as he saw his best friend walking off with Helga, both of them holding hands like they were a couple.

"My man Arnold is growing up..." He murmured to himself, emerging from his hiding place.

"Gerald?" Came a soft, squeaky voice from behind him.

Gerald turned around, coming to see Phoebe walking over to him as she adjusted her glasses further up her nose, looking at him curiously. He immediately lit up upon seeing the girl he crushed over.

"Hey, babe. What'cha doin' around here?"

"Oh, um...." Phoebe figeted nervously. "N-No reason...just taking a walk."

"Really? I always thought you went right home to study after school was out." Gerald said, a little confused.

She smiled a little at him, blushing. "Well, I do, but I guess...I....well...."

Gerald smiled and brought an arm around the petite Asian girl. "Aww, you don't need to explain, Pheebs. But you can allow me to escort a sweet girl like you to something just as sweet. Like, say, Slausen's for a milkshake?"

Phoebe smiled up at him widely and giggled in delight. "I...sure, Gerald, I'd like that very much..."

"And just throwin' it out there, but what say you and I go to the Cheese Festival next Saturday?" Gerald winked at her, taking her hand and walking toward the exit of the park.

"Really? Of course, Gerald...I'd love to." Phoebe smiled, looking away as she blushed more.

Gerald grinned, squeezing her hand, and earned a squeeze in return. Okay, so maybe Arnold actually having a crush on Helga and going to the Cheese Festival was a little bit shocking and unsettling, but if he was happy...well, not much he could do about that. And on a brighter note, Gerald grinned at the fact that he could now spend more time with Phoebe.

Phoebe, who'd followed after Helga in secret to the park, to see what this was all about, and to make sure it went okay, was surprised that Arnold of all people, actually asked Helga to the Cheese Festival. She knew that was a dream come true to Helga, considering she knew about her feelings for Arnold, despite they didn't explicitely talk about it. But Phoebe knew all along, since Preschool. She just never said anything about it, out of courtesy for her best friend.

Things had gone well, and Phoebe was glad to see the development between them. Not to mention, she had an opportunity to spend time with Gerald.

--~~--

"Sooooo, you couldn't get enough of me, huh?" Helga teased as they walked down the street toward her home.

Arnold blushed and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, his other still holding hers. "Well, we did have a lot of fun back on our date, and I...well, really wanted to spend more time with you and get to know you as a friend." He quickly added, not quite ready to admit that he had a crush on her. Not to her face, at least. "I mean, if you still want to be friends."

Helga shook her head and smirked in amusement. "I guess I should've figured as much, football head. Relax, of course we can still be friends."

Arnold let out a breath of relief, but also slight disappointment, and gave her a grateful smile. "Good."

She smirked at him again, but then realized they were still holding hands and it was broad daylight. She cleared her throat, and slid her hand carefully out of his, looking around as she lowered her voice to him, "Broad daylight, Arnold. I've got a reputation to maintain." She looked around, and seeing that no one was around, she let out a breath of relief.

Arnold frowned at all that, and lowered his gaze to the ground. She was embarrassed to be around him. She didn't like him at all, did she? He shook his head, and forced a smile at her. "Sorry, Helga. I didn't realize." He shrugged.

She nodded, still looking a little anxious, before shaking her head. "Ah, I'm probably just being paranoid. Everyone went straight home after school. It's a Friday." She rolled her eyes to herself, and then looked back down at Arnold with a small smile.

Arnold smiled back, his hands behind his back now. "Well, if that's true. Could I-..." He cut himself off, realizing how ridiculous his request was... not to mention awkward. No, he couldn't ask to hold hands again. That was silly. He took a small breath, and shook his head a little, then looked back over at her. "I mean, um..." He looked down, racketing his brain for an excuse. "Uh, could I just... never mind." He shook his head.

She blinked at him, unsure of what to make of his strange behavior. But she shrugged it off, and took his hand again immediately after. "Yeah, whatever, Arnoldo."

He blinked, feeling her warm, soft hand re-enter his. He looked over at her. "Um, Helga, we're holding hands again."

She looked over at him, and her eyes widened a little before she quickly let go of his hand, and looked away. "Oh, sorry..." She could feel the beginnings of a blush crawl up her neck begrudgingly, and she bit her lip, trying to stop it.

Arnold frowned, and reluctantly took her hand back. "No, it's okay. I was kinda trying to ask if I could hold your hand again before actually." He rubbed his arm, still holding her hand.

Helga blinked, and looked over at him. "Oh," She let out, a small note of happiness in there she couldn't quite manage to keep out of her voice. "Well, okay then. Isn't this interesting... friends who hold hands." She shook her head.

"Well, uh, lots of friends hold hands."

Helga looked over at him incredulously. "Arnold, I don't hold hands with Phoebe EVER, and I should hope you don't hold hands with Geraldo."

He choked a little on air, and then cleared his throat. "No! I mean... we're just..." He looked down again, trying to come up with an excuse to hold her hand without revealing he had a crush on her.

"Oh, as Simmons would say... we're special." She fluttered her eyelashes a little for added effect, and snickered soon after.

Arnold couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped from him, and nodded. "Yeah, we're just special... um, different... from other friends." He looked away.

Helga blinked, still facing forward, then looked over at him again. "How are we different? I mean, special is one thing but..." He eyes lit up with what he was implying, and she could feel herself grin, but she quickly forced it down before he could see, and hid it under a neutral look. "Are you implying that we're a couple of friends who just so happened to go out on a date..." She almost added, 'And kissed', but decided against it, as they had agreed that that never happened.

Arnold looked over at her in surprise, and frowned a little nervously. "Well, yeah... in a way... plus you can't be seen holding hands with me if you want to keep your reputation... but I don't know why you'd want to keep that kind of a reputation." He muttered the last part under his breath.

Helga heard him though, and she frowned a little at him. "Yeah, yeah. So we're friends who just happened to kiss-..." Her eyes widened at that, and she slapped her free hand over her mouth.

Arnold's own eyes widened too, and he faced forward, his mouth slightly agape. "Uh... yeah... but that was just... just..."

"W-Well, we had a good time is all. And it was a date, after all... W-We felt the need to kiss afterwards, because..."

"Because we were just confused." He finished for her, smiling over at her nervously.

"Y-Yeah," She nodded in agreement, and smiled back best she could.

"And, um...well, no reason we can't be a little different." Arnold added with a light shrug.

"No, guess not." Helga shrugged also. "Besides, friends go out to dinner, friends go see movies, friends watch movies at their houses, no big deal." Except friends didn't kiss and cuddle like lovers while watching a movie.

"Yeah, that's true." Arnold looked away again.

"Funny though, Geraldo and Phoebe hold hands an awful lot." Helga realized thoughtfully.

Arnold realized she was right and chuckled. "They do, don't they? Come to think of it, they've been spending a lot more time together since we...you know, had our date. Gerald always says they're not going on dates, that they're just 'two buddies hanging out'."

Helga snickered and laughed a little. "Denial. Pure denial. Pheebs says the same thing, that they're just friends hanging out together. I don't know...they hold hands, they flirt, Pheebs gives him that look, and she always blushes when he's nearby. Just friends? I don't think so."

"I'm pretty sure Gerald like likes Phoebe, he just won'd admit it." Arnold laughed a little.

"AHA! I knew it! Well, then I guess it's safe to say that Phoebe DEFINITELY likes Tall-Hair boy. Want to help me plan the wedding?"

Arnold was about to gape and protest, but for a moment he studied her, seeing that she was just kidding around. So he smiled and laughed a bit. "Sure, Helga. We can find a wedding dress for her too."

"Oh ha-ha, football head." Helga playfully rolled her eyes. "Okay, you're starting to know the difference between my being serious and joking around. You're off to a good start."

"Whatever you say, Helga." He smiled up at her fondly with a half-lidded gaze.

Helga felt her heart leap into her throat and she looked away, blushing furiously. This was practically their date all over again. Nervousness and uncertainty, and yet, with so many great moments. Did he really enjoy her company that much? Obviously he did, since he asked her to the Cheese Festival, offered to walk her home, and had even before stated he enjoyed spending time with her.

Wow. That was quite a development, especially after just one date.

If one date was enough to get him to really like her and want to spend time with her, then maybe another date could get him to fall for her.

Helga sighed at this, shaking her head. Yeah right. That was just wishful thinking. They were just friends. Good friends. Friends who held hands. Friends who flirted a bit. Friends who go on dates. Friends who once kissed.

Even now, a couple weeks later, she could never stop thinking about it. Even though it only lasted a few seconds before they were interrupted, it was the best few seconds of her LIFE! ...So far. After having regained consciousness from fainting, she'd squealed like a mad girl in her shrine, wrote about no less than ten poems about said kiss, and thought about it a few times a day ever since then.

'He was so gentle...so soft, just as I imagined it would be!' She thought, inwardly swooning as a dazed, lovesick smile came to her face. 'Maybe I'll get to kiss him again at the Cheese Festival and-no! I can't do that! We're going just as friends...yeah...friends...'

Helga shook her head a little, and looked over to see Arnold still staring at her with that half-lidded gaze. She blinked. "Uh, Arnold?" She waved a hand in front of his face.

He snapped out of his dream-like state, and just looked ahead of them with wide eyes. "Uh, sorry. Zoned out for a minute there." He laughed nervously, looking away.

Helga blinked at him, but then shrugged. "Whatever. Um," She stopped abruptly, and as effect of still holding his hand, he jettisoned backward, and stumbled a little before standing beside her.

She giggled a little, and then pointed to her house. "We're here, Arnoldo." She let go of his hand, and smiled at him. "Well, thanks for walking me home, Football Head. I'll see ya tomorrow." She turned to walk up the steps of her home, but Arnold grabbed her hand and she turned slightly to look at him.

He faltered a little, and smiled nervously. "Uh, yeah, tomorrow... as friends. Um, I just wanted to say, uh..." He sighed, bringing her hand up a little. "Bye." He lifted her hand up a bit more to meet his lips, and he kissed her hand before letting go and smiling at her. He waved, walking down the sidewalk towards his home.

Helga stood there cemented to the spot, and she looked down at the hand he kissed with a dreamy smile on her face. She ran up the steps of her home then, and quickly shut the door. She ran up the stairs and swung the door of her room open then, and then shut and locked the door. As soon as the door locked, she looked down at her hand again, and squealed. "He likes me! He really likes me!" She squealed again, twirling around her room.

-*-*-

Arnold walked home, his hands stuffed in his pockets and a dreamy look in his eyes.

This was going to be perfect.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Arnold stared at the small bottle of cologne, debating whether or not to put it on as he sat on his red, flip out couch. He didn't want to make her think he was coming onto her, but he did want to smell good, and he was coming onto her in a way. He sighed, and opened up the bottle, beginning to bathe himself in the smelly substance.

The door creaked open slightly. "Hey there, Shortman. How are ya-" He opened the door fully, and suddenly scrunched up his face. He put a hand to his nose, and used his free hand to wave away the stench. "Whoo wee! What is that smell?! It smells like dish soap and rotten fruit."

Arnold groaned, throwing the bottle straight into his trash can. "The bottle said that women loved that smell."

Phil coughed a little, the hand still to his nose. "I don't know about that." He shook his head, and stood at a fair distance from him, still waving one hand around from where he stood to try and ward off the smell. "Why do you care if women think you smell good? You got a hot date?"

Arnold shook his head. "No, Grandpa, I've just got this... this friend thing set up. We're going to the Cheese Festival together."

"Ah, the cheese festival." He rubbed his stomach, his eyes closed. He opened them then, and smiled at Arnold. "If this is a friend thing, why the stinky smelling cologne?"

Arnold sighed, rubbing his head a little as he spoke, "Well... it's a girl."

"Ah, is it that cute little one with the pink bow and the one eyebrow? Oh, by the way, me and your grandma have almost got all the wedding plans set. What would you think of an ice cream cake?" He rubbed his belly again, smiling. "Mmmm, I love ice cream."

"Grandpa!" He blushed heavily, looking at him with wide eyes.

Phil chuckled a little. "Oh, come on, Arnold. It's obvious ya like the girl. So what's with all this 'friend' business?" He asked, using quotations over the word 'friend'.

Arnold groaned, slouching in his seat on the couch. "Well, like I said before, our um, date was just to get everyone to stop spreading rumors about us. So now we can only really be friends..." He sighed.

Phil rolled his eyes, his hands perched up on his bony hips. "You're really gonna let your classmates rule your life?"

"Well, um... Helga has got a reputation as a bully... so I know she cares. Plus, all the teasing was torture." He put a hand to his cheek, shaking his head. "Besides, there's no way Helga could like me back."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Phil questioned, taking a seat next to his grandson.

"Well, I mean, I know she likes me as a friend, but I doubt she feels the same way." Arnold sighed, staring at his shoes.

"Why wouldn't she?" Phil then asked.

"Up until our date, she spent all of her time torturing me."

Phil snickered and patted him on the back. "Well Arnold, it's pretty obvious she was teasing you because she likes you! Boys and girls do that all the time!"

"Grandpa, putting a whoopee cushion on someone's chair isn't exactly a good way to show you like them." Arnold said in slight annoyance.

"Short man, let me tell you a story. Back when I was your age, there was this girl in my class, her name was Gertie. And she used to pick on me all the time! She'd ruin my marble games with my friends, she'd make fun of my stance when we played stickball, she put thumbtacks on my chair, and even did things that I ended up getting in trouble for!"

"Really?" Arnold looked at him in surprise.

"You betcha!" Phil laughed. "Turns out she was teasing me because she was hiding the fact that she had a huge crush on me."

"She did?" Arnold was intrigued now. "Well, what happened with her?"

Phil just laughed and patted him on the back. "That's a story for another day, short man! And remember, never eat raspberries! Which reminds me, I've gotta go!" He hurried out of the room and went downstairs to the bathroom.

Arnold sat there for a couple of minutes, contemplating all of this. Was that really what they were doing? Letting their classmates rule their lives? Letting others decide what they can or can't do? He couldn't be friends let alone date Helga because of her reputation with their peers? That didn't seem fair.

He understood why she set herself off as a rash and to-be-feared bully, a simple act of "get them before they get me", obviously so they wouldn't think of her as weak and walk all over her. But this was worse, they had more power of her than she did over them, or even herself.

'No wonder she's scared to be seen with me.' Arnold thought sadly. 'She's afraid of being made fun of and being seen as weak, being able to be taken advantage of. That has to be it. But I don't want to live by that, she should be free to do what she wants without everyone else deciding. Still, I guess I shouldn't rush her. I'll just have to show her again that there are people who see her as more than just the class bully.'

He bit his lip, and then went to the phone to call Gerald for some advice.

"Hey babe, I was hoping you'd call!" Gerald said as he answered the phone.

Arnold was dumbfounded for a moment, unable to respond. "W-What? Gerald, it's me."

"Oh! Arnold! Hey man...uh...yeah, I knew that, just wanted to make sure you were paying attention. So uh, what's up? Did Helga say yes?"

"Oh, yeah. She did." Arnold nodded, though Gerald couldn't see it. "I told her we were going just as friends, but um...I don't know, should I give her flowers or something? I mean, I want to do something nice for her also, but I don't want to seem like I'm coming on to her or anything."

"But aren't you coming onto her?"

"Well, yeah... but I don't want to seem too obvious. We are going as friends, and I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

"Okay, let me get this straight... you want to do something nice, without looking like you're coming onto her... but you are coming onto her... but you don't want her to know that."

"Uh, right."

There was a moment of silence.

"Arnold, you are one sick puppy."

Arnold sighed, putting his free hand to his forehead. "Are you going to help me or not? I have to pick her up in about thirty minutes here, and Ms. Vitello's flower shop is on the way. So I could do that."

"Hmmm... well, you already tried giving her a flower in the park yesterday, but she didn't seem to care all that much. Have you put on cologne?"

"Uh, yeah. But grandpa said it smelled like dish soap and rotten fruit or something. I'm hoping that once I get outside, it'll air me out."

"Mmmm mmmm mmmm, Arnold... I don't know what-... Ohhh, I know what you could do."

"What? What could I do?"

"You said that you wanted to do something nice for her, and also come onto her sorta without her knowing. So, once you get to the festival, just buy her something, man. Cheese kabobs, teddy bears, anything you see her eyeing. It'll just seem like a friendly gesture, but it'll also have her lookin' at ya in a new way."

"It will?"

"Sure. Girls love it when guys buy them stuff. It gets their gears working, if you know what I'm saying."

Arnold blinked. "What are you saying?"

He could hear Gerald sigh on the other line. "It will make her like you more."

"Really?"

"Of course, man. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Well-"

"Don't answer that."

Arnold smiled through the phone, and relaxed a little in his seat. "Okay, thanks for the advice, Gerald."

"Anytime, Arnold. Now I've got to go pick up Ph-... Felix."

"Felix? Who's Felix?"

"No one. Gotta go." He heard the phone click, and he shook his head. He hung up the phone, and glanced at his alarm clock. He smiled, standing up, and straightening out his sweater. He walked down the stairs, down the hall, down more stairs, and then out the door, towards Helga's house.

Needless to say, he was feeling pretty giddy. Sure, this time their date was a "just friends" thing, which was fine, since the fact that they could spend time together one-on-one was what mattered. Who knows, maybe, just maybe, he could get her to like him like him. If their first date got her to warm up to him and enjoy his company, maybe a second date could take it a few steps further.

Without making that obvious, of course. The intention was to hang out with her, as a friend, and have fun together.

To think that just a month ago, or even a day prior to their first date, he would have dreaded this kind of thing with her. Who knew that after one date, he'd grow to like her a lot, and even surprisingly, develop a crush on her? If he'd been told of that at the time, he would've freaked out and thought of it as ridiculous, especially considering how he felt upon the writing on the wall.

He smiled a little now. The message on the wall was what started all of this. At first it was the bane of his existence, but now, he was glad that someone had written that. Thanks to it, he'd been able to see the true side of Helga he'd only ever seen a couple of times, and the true potential in who she was. It had seemed unlikely, since he always went for girls who were pretty and easy.

Helga was neither. She was attractive in her own right, especially when she put effort into it. And she wasn't easy. There was so much to her that it took forever to crack the code. Granted, he understood her mind a lot better now, but there was still puzzles that had yet to be solved.  
And yet, he found himself actually liking the challenge.

If it meant he could spend more time with her, and she would gradually open up more and more, then why not? It was interesting to have a challenge like this. It was pretty exciting. A little difficult at times, but still it kept him on his toes.

'Where has she been my whole life?' Arnold thought to himself. His thoughtful expression melted in a lovesick, half-lidded smile as his mind drifted off yet again...

--~~--

_"Well gee Arnold, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Helga asked curiously._

_"I...well, Helga, I wanted to tell you that being with you like this has been some of the best times of my life." Arnold said, and held her hand. "Helga G. Pataki, will you be my girlfriend?"_

_"Oh, Arnold.... Yes! Yes! Definitely! To be perfectly honest, I've had a crush on you all along, but I was scared to show it."_

_"You don't have to be afraid anymore."_

_"And neither do you."_

_"Oh, Helga..."_

_"Arnold..."_

_Their eyes met once more and they leaned in closer, closer, and closer..._

--~~--

HONK HONK!

Arnold jumped as loud car honking snapped him out of his daydream, blinking wildly as he realized he'd been too slow crossing the street and the light had turned red.

"S-Sorry!" He called out, running across the rest of the way.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of such thoughts.

"I really AM a sick puppy." Arnold groaned to himself.

Luckily, he was nearing her house, so hopefully soon he wouldn't be so inclined to daydream. Despite that he would be spending time with the very object of his affections and daydreams.

--~~--

Eventually, he reached Helga's house right on time, at 3:52. Arnold took a deep breath and went up the steps, ringing the doorbell.

This time it was Helga who answered the door, who smirked in amusement upon seeing him.

"Well hey there, football head. You're early."

"Well, you know, I wanted to be on time." Arnold blushed a bit and took her in. She was wearing her usual outfit, with her pink bow on her head, the only difference was that she was wearing her hair down again. "Hey, you're wearing your hair down..."

"Yeah, I am. Got a problem with that?" She raised on side of her eyebrow.

"No, no! Not at all. I...like it, actually. You look pretty with your hair down."

Helga blushed a bit and came outside, shutting the door behind her. "Well...thanks, Arnold. Um, so, we gonna go?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. The festival is only a few blocks away too, so we should be there in no time." He smiled at her, and walked down the steps of her stoop.

She fell into step beside him as they walked down the sidewalk, towards the Cheese Festival. She nodded rapidly. "Oh, I know. I can hear all the stupid Cheese Festival sounds from my window. It's annoying as heck." She rolled her eyes a little. "People screaming from going on some of the faster rides, vomiting after eating too much cheese, not to mention all the smells of, big shocker, cheese." She shook her head. "It's ridiculous."

Arnold nodded casually as they turned a corner, the Cheese Festival already in sight. "Yeah, I know. It's really cheesy."

She couldn't quite control the snort of laughter escaping her throat at that, and she nudged him a little in the shoulder. "No puns. I hate cheese puns." She grinned at him.

Arnold looked over at her, amused. "Really? 'Cause your smiling like you like cheese puns. Admit it, Helga. You love them. You think they're gouda."

She chuckled a little, shaking her head. "Enough, Football Head. They're so lame. You're gonna make me sick."

"Oh really?" He asked with fake concern, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure? Maybe I should take you home then. Don't worry. I'll make it all cheddar."

She slapped a hand to her forehead, chuckling under her breath. "No more! You better stop it, Arnoldo, or I'll have to sock ya one right in your-"

"Would you two like to buy your tickets now?" The lady in the ticket booth asked them, and they stopped in their tracks, realizing they'd made it to their desired destination.

They turned to see the ticket lady staring at them weirdly, and she blinked a few times at them.

Arnold cleared his throat, and came forward, money in hand. "Um, yes, we'd like two tickets for enterance, and two ride bands." He held up a few bills to her.

She smiled at him, and took the money, and pressed a few buttons. Some tickets and bands issued out of a small slit, and Arnold tore them out. "Thank you." He thanked her politely, and turned to Helga with their tickets and ride bands in hand. He handed one of each to her. "Here, Helga."

She took them wordlessly, and offered a smile. They both put on their ride bands, and walked into the festival, handing their tickets over to the ticket guy.

They walked further in, observing all the different rides, cheeses, lights, and people in awe.

Arnold grinned, and then looked over at Helga, gesturing to the festival. "Well, ladies pick first."

She rolled her eyes playfully, and put her hand to her chin, while her other hand rested on her hip, as her eyes scanned over the place. "Okay then, I say that we..." She spotted the Ferris wheel not too far off, and grinned, pointing over at it. "ride that! It'll give us a good view of the festival too, so we can scope out what we want to ride next." She glanced at Arnold.

He smiled at her, and looked over towards the Ferris wheel. "Good idea. Let's go." He took her hand gently, but also excitedly, and they both began bounding towards the Ferris wheel, through the crowds of excited kids, grownups, and cheese.

They reached the line, and after a few minutes, they were boarded onto their seats. Some men in uniform came by and secured them into their seats also, making sure they had their seat belts on correctly.

After a couple minutes of preparation, the ride fired up, and they lifted up, higher and higher into the air. Helga grinned, looking down upon all the tiny people as they went higher and higher. "Ha! Everyone looks like mice from up here. This is rather ironic since mice actually eat cheese." She rolled her eyes at that, and leaned back in her seat, her hands gripping the safety bars.

Arnold smiled too, looking down at all the tiny people wandering around. "Okay, so what do you think we should ride next? We've got a fair view from up here."

Helga smiled at him briefly, before looking back down with a thoughtful look on her face. "Hmmm, how about that?" She pointed down at one ride. "The Tilt-O-Whirl. I always loved that ride. See, the one right there with the chick with the black hair... along with that chubby kid with the protruding belly... and the one with the hat, and then the tall, lanky looking one." Her had been widening in realization as she said all this, and her mouth fell agape. "Oh, man! That's Rhonda, Harold, Sid, and Stinky!"

Arnold's eyes widened, and he looked over to get a better look, squinting his eyes. "Are you sure? I mean-"

"Arnold, I could spot pink boy from a mile away. And I can already smell Rhondaloids stanky smelling French perfume..." She waved a hand in front of her nose. "Ugh, what is that? That can't be Rhonda." She sniffed a little, and Arnold frowned slightly. "It smells like... dish soap and rotten fruit..." She scrunched up her nose, shaking her head.

Arnold's eyes widened at that, and he laughed nervously. "Yeah, don't know."

She looked back down at the four in question, currently walking over to a cheese stand it seemed, and Helga's eyes widened more, her eyes darting around. "And there's Nadine, Sheena, Eugene..." She smirked suddenly though, much to Arnold's confusion. "Well, lookie here. There's Geraldo and Pheebs, walking hand in hand." She rolled her eyes, a smile still on her face. "I should've known."

Arnold chuckled. "Me too. He lied earlier, saying he was going with someone named Felix."

"Felix?!" Helga laughed. "Who the heck is Felix?!"

"A cover-up of the fact that he was going with Phoebe."

"And they say you're the bad liar." Helga snickered, turning her attention back to their respective best friends. "Hey look, I'm Geraldo now. 'Hahahaha, you're so funny Phoebe, man I totally love you even though I deny it, but I know we're on a date right now. Look at me with my muscles, I'm gonna hit the bell with this mallet here, baby...'" She said in her best Gerald impression.

Clapping his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing too loud, Arnold snickered through his nose, his shoulders shaking as his laughter was muffled behind his hand.

"Ohhh, you liked that, huh? Well! Then I'll go on. Let's see, I'll do Rhondaloid next." She flipped her hair and stuck her nose in the air. "'Buy me this, do that for me, do this, do that, I'm Rhonda Wellington Lloyd, and I demand free access to everything because I'm a rich spoiled brat and will throw a tantrum if things don't go my way. Eww, why are you wearing such a hideous dress, I'm gonna write you up a fashion ticket.'"

Arnold laughed heartily, holding his heaving stomach as he nearly fell over in the seat, saved by the seatbelt. "H-Helga...stop....please...." He managed between laughs.

"No way! You torture me with cheese puns, I now torture you with impressions!" Helga declared. "Let's see, I'm gonna do...Harold next! 'Waaaah!! I'm so faaaaaaat!! I'm hungry even though I just ate two seconds ago! Mommyyyyyyy!!!' Okay, and now Stinky. 'Man, Ah'm soooo dumb! What the heck's that mean? Ah don't even know what day it is because Ah'm so dang stupid! Mmm, man Ah sure love lemon puddin'! 'Cause it's lemon puddin'! Had enough yet, football head?"

Wiping a tear from his eye, Arnold managed to catch his breath and stop laughing. "Y-Yeah...I'm fine. Those were pretty good impressions, you sounded just like them."

"Well thank you." Helga bowed as best as she could under the restraint of the seatbelt. "I do what I can, I guess." She looked back out over the park and grinned. "So then Arnold, want to hit the Tilt-O-Whirl after this?"

"Sure Helga, that sounds like fun. It's an awesome ride." Arnold grinned, unconsciously touching her hand that was sitting on her lap.

"I knew you'd agree. So you don't like, get queasy or anything, do you?"

"No, I don't. Do you?"

"Heck no! I can ride the roller coasters at Dino Land seven times without my stomach churning once!"

The blonde boy chuckled a little, smiling up at her fondly. Barely fifteen minutes into their "just friends outing", and he was already having a blast. He was sure glad he'd had the motivation and confidence, somewhat, thanks to Gerald, to ask her to this.

"You must have a pretty strong stomach." He remarked.

Helga smirked at him, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. "Really? Coming from the Champion himself, that sounds suspicious."

Arnold grimaced at the memory of the food eating competition, holding his stomach. "Oh...I don't want to think about that again."

"Relax, Arnoldo, I'm not gonna make you eat a champ title's worth of cheese or anything." Helga snickered. "As funny as that would be, then I'd be the one left holding the bag."

They both laughed at this, and then the ride finished. The workers unstrapped their seatbelts and the two kids disembarked, heading toward the Tilt-O-Whirl line.

But of course, fate had other ideas.

"Not this way! Come on!" Helga quickly pulled Arnold aside into the opposite direction.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"News flash, no one knows we came here together and are seeing each other, and therefore will know we...ya know, lied." Helga hissed.

Arnold realized, and gave a slow nod in understanding. "Oh, right..." That would be when the teasing would start up all over again, and their classmates would never let them live it down.

The sad part was, they would be partly right this time.

Arnold looked and saw that Rhonda, Nadine, and Lila, apparently having just joined them, were walking toward them. They managed to duck behind a giant Swiss cheese cardboard cutout, effectively hiding from their classmates, or at least enough so as not to be spotted by the girls.

"And so THEN I said to her 'Penelope, if you're going to be wearing blue pumps with that peach dress, you may as well turn yourself in to the Fashion Police'. I mean really, who wears a hideos combo like THAT?" Rhonda was saying.

"Well I do have to admit, the colours don't go so well together..." Lila agreed. "But I'm ever so certain that some people just have different tastes."

"Oh, you have much to learn, dear, naiive Lila." Rhonda said solemnly. "But that's exactly what I'm here for."

Once the girls were out of sight, Arnold and Helga emerged, both sighing with relief.

"That was too close, football head. If we'd been caught by the infernal Fashion and Gossip Queen, we would've been toast by Monday." Helga said.

"No kidding." Arnold agreed. "Um...do you want to play a game first?"

"Sure." Helga said nonchalantly.

They made their way through the crowds, looking around for a game they might like to play, and also keeping a close look out for any of their classmates.

Arnold looked around, and suddenly spotted a certain game stand not too far away, and he grabbed Helga's hand to stop her, and pointed over to the stand. "How about that, Helga?"

Helga looked over, already being able to hear the man running the stand yelling out over the russle and bussle of the crowds.

"Come on down! Only one dollar for three balls! Knock down the milk bottles and win a prize! Come on down! Anyone can play!"

Helga rolled her eyes at the man, but smiled at Arnold nonetheless, and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

He smiled at her, and they made their way closer to the stand, him still holding her hand so she wouldn't get lost in the crowd.

They made their way to the booth, and the man addressed them animatedly, "Hello there! Would you like to try knocking down the bottles? Only one dollar for three tries!" He grinned at them. "You can't lose!"

Helga shook her head at the man, and Arnold just smiled politely and produced a dollar bill from the back of his pocket. "Uh, yes, I'd like to buy three balls, please."

Helga came forward, and got out her own dollar, slapping it down on the counter. "Count me in too." She grinned.

Arnold looked over at her, and blinked. She didn't look back though, not noticing his look.

The man grinned at them, and eagerly took their money, grabbing out six balls from underneath the counter and placing them before the two kids. He stepped aside, gesturing to the two sets of three milk bottles all topped on top of eachother.

Arnold picked up his first ball, stuck his tongue out in determination, brought his arm back, and then threw.

And missed.

"Oh no, the football head missed!" Helga giggled, picking up her first ball then, smirking deviously. "Watch and learn, hair boy, this is how we pros do it."

She threw her arm back, eyes straight on the target, the three milk bottles, and then threw the ball.

And missed.

Helga stared, dumbfounded, as if to say "How could I miss?" while Arnold snickered from next to her.

"You were saying, Helga? No really, go on. I think you were saying something about being a professional?" He crossed his arms, smirking at her playfully.

"Ohhh, shut up! That was just a warm up. I can knock 'em dead." Helga picked up her second ball, concentrated, threw her arm back and tossed the ball.

Success! She knocked down the bottles.

"Winner!"

"Told ya. Think you can beat that?" Helga smirked, leaning against the counter.

"I thought you'd never ask." Arnold smiled, taking her challenge. He picked up his second ball, reinstigated his previous pose, and threw the ball.

Success! He too knocked down the bottles.

"Winner!"

"Well, football head, you think you can still knock them down if we throw at the same time?" A twinkle flashed in her eye.

"At the same time?" He blinked, and then smiled. "Sure, let's give it a try."

They both picked up their last ball, gave each other a nod, and threw their balls. Upon missing, their eager faces melted into disappointment.

"Well criminy, what's it going to take to win that crocodile plushie, or even that adorable puppy? Sheesh." Helga shook her head, crossing her arms. She glanced at Arnold and shrugged. "C'mon Arnoldo, let's go find something else to do."

Arnold was about to comply, but when he saw the look in Helga's eyes, the way she just wanted to have fun and try to win something, he felt a tug at his heartstrings. Seeing her a little upset wasn't what he wanted her to feel, even if it was no big deal and she'd be over it in no time. Maybe he could keep trying, trying to attempt to make her happy.

Taking out a few dollar bills from his pocket, Arnold went back to the counter and slapped them down. The man was surprised, but then gave him nine balls. Helga looked on with amazement, feeling her heart leap in her chest as she visibly lit up at his sweet gesture.

"I'll win them for you, Helga." He told her with a smile, taking one of the balls.

_Oh my gosh, what an angel, just stepping up and trying to make me happy like that!_ Helga thought, marveled. She shook her head and regained herself. "You didn't have to, football head."

"I know, but I want to. I want to make you happy, and have a good time here like any other friends would." Arnold turned and tossed the ball, successfully knocking down the bottles.

"Well...okay, whatever floats your boat." Unseen to him, she beamed happily with a loving look in her eyes.

She watched as Arnold tossed ball after ball, sometimes missing, other times knocking them down. So far, four misses and three hits, there was one ball left. He took it in his hand, threw his arm back, sticking out his tongue in determination, and then took a chance, tossing it to the milk bottles. The man rang a little bell, and handed over the crocodile plushie and the stuffed puppy.

"Here, Helga." Arnold smiled and handed the toys to her.

"Oh...wow...um, gosh...thanks, Arnold..." Helga blushed unwittingly, taking the stuffed animals from him. "That was pretty nice of you."

"You're welcome, I wanted to make you happy, like any good friend would." He said sincerely, his hands behind his back.

Helga smiled back and then kissed him on the cheek before she could stop herself from doing it. Reality set in and she blushed, walking off toward the Tilt-O-Whirl, motioning for him to follow. It would be okay, if he asked, she could simply say that sometimes the girly reaction was that the girl would kiss someone who won them something, in a totally friendly way. Yeah, she'd be just fine. He wouldn't suspect a thing.

Arnold followed behind her, his eyes wide as he touched the spot she'd kissed. Unseen to her, a dreamy, lovesick smile came to his face as his eyes went half-lidded and his smile grew.

"So football head, what say we go on the Tilt-O-Whirl and see how long we can go without throwing up?" Helga grinned, turning to him.

Snapping out of his reverie, he nodded and smiled. "Sure, Helga. Let's go!"

"Hey, is that Arnold over there?" A voice suddenly said.

"Criminy!" Helga cursed, and hurried off into a crevice between a fortune-telling tent and a dunking booth.

Nearly about to call her back, Arnold was then greeted by Sid, Stinky, Harold and Eugene.

"Well hey Arnold! We didn't know you were here, how's it going?" Eugene asked.

"Wilikers Arnold, didn't think you'd be comin' all by yourself." Stinky remarked.

"Oh, well, you know...sometimes you just want to be able to do what you want without really having to worry about anyone..." Arnold said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Boy howdy, you're a real bold kid Arnold! Hey, you want to come with us? We're going on the bumper cars!" Sid offered.

"Yeah! I can't wait to crash some cars! Vroom vroom CRASH! Aw yeah!" Harold hooted.

"That's okay guys, I was just about to...go get some cheese." Arnold replied. "But thanks for the offer."

"Aw, well that's too bad, Arnold. Maybe we can ride something together a little later." Stinky offered, still wearing a smile.

Eugene nodded enthusiastically, and as he was distracted, the other three began running away from him in the direction of the bumper cars.

Arnold blinked, looking past Eugene and seeing them all racing away from him.

Eugene lost his smile at his strange look, and turned to see everyone running away from him. He smiled again, racing after them. "Hey! Wait for me guy-OOF!" He tripped, falling face first into a puddle of cheese whiz, the can laying over by a trash can not too far away. He groaned, lifting his head up slightly to yell out, "I'm okay!"

Arnold sighed, and looked around, then inconspicuously wandered over into the crevice Helga was, to see her standing there with wide, panicky eyes. He smiled at her, now standing right in front of her. "It's okay, Helga. They're gone now." He went to take her hand, so he could lead her out of her hiding place, but she quickly withdrew her hand from his reach, and sighed. "Look, Arnold, I really am having a good time, but..." She sighed again. "this is all really risky. I mean, what with all our classmates running around. Maybe it would be best if we just... stopped all this. It's crazy, and I really don't want another repeat of that stupid 'Arnold loves Helga' situation. So..." She turned slightly, still looking at him. "Maybe I should just sneak out the back way, and then we can just go back to our seperate lives. I'm the bully, and you're the do-gooder. So..." She sighed again. "Bye." She started walking out the back, but was surprised when Arnold suddenly grabbed her hand to keep her from going, and her ears were met with a panicked yell of, "NO!" She turned to him with wide eyes.

Realizing his actions, Arnold cleared his throat, and pulled her a little ways back by her hand. "Helga, I... it's just... don't you think you're being a little paranoid? The cheese festival is huge. The odds of us running into them again are... well, I don't know exactly what the odds are. I'm not Phoebe. But they have to be pretty low, don't you think?" He smiled at her in reassurance, though it came off a bit more nervous than he would have liked.

Helga blinked at him, considering his words with a slightly pensive look. Suddenly though, she smiled at him again. "Okay, fine. Maybe I am being a little paranoid. It is a pretty big festival. It's just... we've already had two pretty close run-ins with Rhonda, and her crew, and the idiots." She frowned. "Plus, I don't have the best luck in situations like this." She rubbed the back of her neck a little with her free hand.

Arnold frowned, feeling that she was once again reconsidering. "Helga, I... I invited you here because... well, I like you, and I'd like to spend more time with you, and I don't want to let our classmates get in the way of that. I'm sure things will get better. The girls were heading in the opposite direction of the Tilt O' Whirl, and I happen to know that the boys are all heading for the Bumper Cars. So the only people we could possibly run into if we went, would be Gerald and Phoebe, and they already know that we're here together." He smiled, feeling that his reasoning was pretty good.

Helga stared at him, considering what he'd just said, before smiling, and sighing slightly in the amazement of him. "Okay, fine. I mean, what's the worst that could hap-..." She stopped herself, shaking her head. "No, I cannot say that. Every time someone says that, things always get worse." She smiled at him. "Well, let's go. With any luck, we'll run into Pheebs and Geraldo, so we can embarrass the living heck outta them for going together and not telling us." She laughed.

Arnold smiled, and began leading her out of the crevice, and back into the crowd.

They began shifting through the crowds, still holding hands as they made their way towards the Tilt O' Whirl. They got in line, and it was about then that they both realized they were still holding hands. They both blushed, and let go, remembering that this was supposed to be a friends outing.

They waited in line, and Arnold noticed Helga leaning against the railing that was seperating them from the ride. He smiled at her, and she smiled a little back, looking very casual at that moment. He copied her actions, and stared up at her. "So, we've got a little time to kill. Anything you wanna talk about?"

She stared at him, her eyes looking slightly pensive, before she smiled suddenly. "Sure, where'd ya get that awful cologne?" She smirked at him.

He frowned, sighing a little at being caught. "I just got it at some store. It's not important, really." He looked away, feeling a little insecure.

She chuckled a little. "Remind me never to shop at that store." She smiled slightly, mockingly. "I'm flattered you felt the need to splash on some vile concoction just for lil' ol' me. I didn't know you liked me that much." Her smile widened a little. Though she was only joking, she couldn't help but squeal inwardly at the thought of Arnold caring of what she thought he smelled like.

Arnold blushed, his eyes widening a little, not realizing that she was joking. "Uh... well, it was just... I was... and you were..." He gulped, trying to gain back his composure.

Helga's eyes widened a little and she snapped her eyes to him. "Wait a minute... you really did put that junk on because you wanted me to think you smelled nice?" Her eyes widened a little more, and a faint blush began to appear on her cheeks.

Had she been joking? She had to have been, why else would she not have questioned it further, and reiterated back to the cologne? Arnold gave a sigh of relief and nodded as they moved a little further along the line.

"Oh...well, yeah. It's nothing really." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just felt like doing that for the fun of it. Having something nice to smell...or terrible in this case, would be a little bonus."

"Really?" Helga smirked playfully, her hands on her hips. "Because you know, Arnoldo, boys rarely ever put on cologne unless it's...oh, what's that word again? Oh yeah. A date! Gosh, and here I thought this was a 'just friends' thing." She used air quotations for emphasis.

Arnold blushed a bit, his hands behind his back as he rocked nervously on his feet. "W-Well...friends can go do something together and wear perfume or cologne, right?"

She snorted. "Whatever you say, Arnold." She took her stuffed crocodile and poked Arnold's nose with its snout. "Raarrrgghh, the big bad Croc wants to eat you!"

He looked at it cross-eyed and laughed, gently pushing it away. "Very funny, Helga. But I don't think a crocodile would find me very tasty."

"No, you're thinking of sharks." Helga said, shaking her head. "Your head would be enough for the croc to tear you to pieces so it could eat you up in one bite."

"I also heard that an alligator's tail has enough strength to break human bones, but I guess that works better if they're full grown and big."

"The football head does his homework! Well I'm appeased. Ya know, maybe one of these days we should go to the reptile house they have downtown, go see these guys. Sure most of the time they just sit there like logs, but they're so boss. It'd be cooler at those zoos where they have the trainers go down in the pit and make them move and eat things."

"That sounds like fun." Arnold gave a smile, and saw they were further down the line, almost at the ride. "We should go."

"Wait, what? Seriously?" Helga was caught off guard. "You'd want to go, walk around staring at reptiles behind glass, talk to the experts where you can pet a baby gator or a snake or a lizard? With me, no less?"

He nodded and looked at her then. "Well, yeah, Helga. Like I said, I like you and I really want to spend time with you. If you want to go to the reptile house with me, then we'll go. That'll be a great way to spend an afternoon. It'd be fun. Well...if you would like to go, I guess you were probably just joking, and I'll understand if you don't want to, but..."

She grinned giddily for a moment, and then kept it casual and cool. "If you put it that way, sure, why not. We'll go sometime then. I'm uh...not doing anything next Sunday, maybe we can go then."

"All right, then we'll go next Sunday. I'm not doing anything either, we can go then."

"Good, then it's a date. Or should I say, outing between friends?"

Arnold laughed heartily. "Call it whatever you want."

Helga smirked. "Maybe I will call it a date then, just to kick it up a notch. I'm Helga Pataki after all, and I live to torture."

"If calling it a date is torture, then chain me to the wall."

Despite that he turned a silly joke into something with truth behind it, they both laughed and then were soon at the front of the line. They went in, and climbed into one of the "pods", and held onto the safety bar as they waited in anticipation for the ride to start.

"Don't you throw up on me, Arnoldo." Helga warned. "You're not gonna get queasy, are you?"

"No, I won't." Arnold shook his head. "Are you?"

"Well doi, of course not! Like I told you before, I've got a stomach of steel! Now, grab the hold on to this or you're gonna die bar and let's get this show on the road!"

Arnold laughed, taking hold of the safety bar, or the 'hold on to this or you're gonna die bar' that Helga playfully called it. "Whatever you say, Helga."

The ride started, lifting up several feet into the air and then spinning around and tilting, causing some of the passengers to scream in both terror and delight. Helga grinned wildly and threw her arms up, laughing loudly. Arnold couldn't help but melt at her display of having so much fun, reminding him once more that she was letting herself loose and being who she really was. He couldn't help but throw his arms up in a fit of joy and laughing along with her. At least he didn't have to worry about her throwing up or anything.

Unconsciously, they grabbed each other's hands and shouted happily as the ride progressively accelerated. As it turned out, they held hands during the rest of the ride.

Helga talked him into riding it twice, which this time they yelled and shouted random things only for it all to be drowned out by the other screams and shouts and the noise of the ride. After the second round, they headed off into the eatery section to get some cheese, not even realizing that they were still holding hands.

"Man, this is really cheesy." Helga said, and snickered.

Arnold smirked playfully and chuckled. "I told you you loved my cheese puns."

"Oh shut up!" She laughed. "Hey! There's Geraldo and Pheebs! Oh, this is just too perfect."

Arnold looked over, and indeed saw Gerald and Phoebe sitting at a table, a plate of diced cheese between them, and looking to be having a very pleasant talk. Arnold couldn't help but snicker a little at the sight, as they walked a bit closer to them.

Helga suddenly came up, and sat herself right in front of the couple, her eyes wide and holding false-friendliness. She grinned at them, as Arnold sat down beside her. "Why if it isn't Geraldo and Felix. Wow! Felix sure does look a lot like my best friend." She grinned at them a bit wider, and Arnold couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Phoebe blinked at her in bewilderment, and looked over at Gerald's blushing face. "Gerald, who's Felix?"

"No one." He uttered distractedly, and then looked under the table, then back up at the couple, now with a face that had them confused. "Hmmm, Arnold, I thought you said that you and Helga were just going as friends. But you're holding hands."

The two blushed, and immediately released eachothers hands. Arnold frowned at him a little. "Yes, but at least I told you I was going with Helga."

Gerald blushed, and frowned back at him, sighing. "Sorry. But you would've given me one of your knowing looks with one of the stupid little smiles. Ugh, I don't want that, man. Even from you, it's still embarrassing."

Phoebe looked offended. "You find this embarrassing?"

"Uh, Pheebs," Helga cut in, "sorry to burst your bubble there, but you told me you were coming alone."

Phoebe's eyes widened then, and she blushed a little. "Uh..."

"Ah HA!" Gerald exclaimed, giving her an accusing look. "I knew it. You're embarrassed too."

Phoebe sighed. "Okay, fine. But I like to be inconspicuous about these things." She shrugged a little, looking up at him.

Gerald smiled, and nodded a little. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He looked over at Arnold. "Sorry I didn't tell you."

Arnold smiled at him in forgivness, and shrugged a little. "It's okay. I knew you were coming here with Phoebe anyway. Your cover-up wasn't very strong." He laughed a little, and both he and Helga got up and walked away wordlessly.

They walked over to the vendor, and smiled at him, looking over at the menu. "What would you like, Helga?"

She put a hand to her chin thoughtfully, as she looked over the menu items. "Hmmm... how about a yahoo soda, and some of those cheese cube things. They looked pretty good." She smiled at him a little.

Arnold smiled back, and paid the vendor, then walked over to a table with their food. He sat the plate of cheese cubes between them, and the two yahoo sodas, and then sat down. Helga sat beside him, and grabbed up one of the little cheese cubes by the stick. She ate it, and tossed the stick back onto the plate carelessly. "Mmmm, gotta love cheese. It's no wonder they dedicated an entire festival to it." She giggled a little, but then forced down the remainder her giggle, feeling it was embarrassing.

Arnold picked up a cheese cube by it's little toothpick, and ate the cheese, setting the toothpick back down on the plate. "Yeah, I love the cheese festival. It's pretty cool." He smiled at her, swallowing silently.

She nodded, staring at the plate of cheese. She sat her head in her hand, her elbow resting up on the table as she stared. "This is so weird..."

Arnold blinked at her, and looked from the cheese to her. "What's wrong with the cheese?"

She shook her head a little absently, and looked over at him instead. "I mean, being here, with you. I mean, only about a week ago we both probably would've vomited at the thought of coming here together." She laughed a little, thinking of what a lie that was. Well, half-lie. She would've been squealing and giggling in delight, but he... well, she didn't want to think about it anymore.

He frowned at the thought, and took on a pensive look. "Yeah, it is weird to think about." He shook his head a little, and smiled at her. "But we're friends... so it's not that weird NOW." He shrugged, playing with one of the cheese squares with his toothpick.

She smiled at him. "Yeah, except of course how we hold hands, and you put on cologne for me." She laughed a little, eating another cheese cube.

He blushed a little, and looked away. But then he looked back at her with a slightly amused smile. "Well, yeah. But you put a little effort into this too." He smirked a little.

She blinked at him, looking a bit bewildered. "What are you talking about? I'm not wearing some foul smelling perfume."

He shook his head, his smirk still set on his face. "No, but you did put your hair down, because you know I like it." He smirked, leaning in a bit. "Admit it, you cared about my opinion of your appearance."

She rolled her eyes, her head still resting in her hand. "So I was too lazy to put it up in it's usual pigtails. That's called lack of effort, Football Head." Her eyes grew a little then, and she smirked. "And what is this about you liking it?" She raised one side of her eyebrow at him cunningly.

His smirk dropped, and he blushed again. "Um, well..." He looked away, still blushing. "It's... well, it's nice." He shrugged, looking away with a nervous look.

She giggled a little, and sat up straight then, waving one of the cheese cubes in his face to attract his attention. "Awww, you think my hair looks nice, you put on cologne for me, you ask me to the cheese festival. Geez, if you keep it up, I'm gonna start thinking you have some kind of crush on me." She laughed a little at the thought, and popped the cheese cube into his mouth suddenly, the stick sticking out from his lips.

Blushing furiously, not just at her gesture but at her comment. Once more, she was right. Did she suspect that he had a crush on her? Or was she just playing around some more? Was it THAT obvious? Sure, he put on cologne, gave her a daisy, and asked her to the Cheese Festival, not to mention holding her hand a lot, and then complimenting her on her hair.

Friends did that, right?

Keeping his composure, Arnold smiled and removed the toothpick, before taking another cheese cube and holding it to her face, making her eyes follow it wherever he moved it.

"Gosh Helga, whatever would I do if that were true?"

"I don't know, you tell me. Dance for joy? Throw pie in my face?" She made a grab for the cheese with her mouth but he pulled it back. "Hey! Gimme!"

"What's the magic word?" Arnold smirked playfully, waving the cheese in her face.

"Abracadabra. Now gimme." Helga pouted.

He chuckled and placed the cheese in her mouth, the toothpick sticking out between her lips. She smiled, and he took the toothpick from her. All of a sudden, her eyes went wide and she flew out of her seat, ducking under the table.

"Helga? What are you doing?" Arnold questioned, surprised.

"Shh! Classmate alert!"

"Well well, look ladies, it's Arnold!" Came the voice of Rhonda. "And he's here all alone."

"Um, hi Rhonda, Lila, Nadine, Sheena..." Arnold said nervously. "H-How's it going?"

"Oh, it's going just ever so great, thank you for asking!" Lila smiled. "Are you here all by yourself?"

"Oh, yeah, you know...kind of wanted some time to have fun on my own for a change." Arnold lied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Really? Well that's funny, we heard you talking to someone awhile ago." Nadine said.

"Yeah, and I'm oh too certain that I saw you with Helga earlier." Lila added.

Arnold gulped, but managed to keep his composure. He knew he was a lousy liar, but he tried. "W-Well...I did run into her and we talked a bit...then I went and saw Gerald...it's nothing really."

"Well gosh Arnold, you sure got over her quick." Rhonda smirked. "But anyhow, we're off to get our faces painted. Care to join us?'

"That's okay Rhonda, I'd rather not."

"Suit yourself. Come ladies, let's be off."

"I hope you have a nice evening, Arnold. If you want to hang out with us, you're oh too welcome to." Lila offered.

"Thanks Lila, I'll think about it." Arnold nodded.

The girls walked off, talking amongst themselves. Arnold released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, just in time for Helga to emerge once the girls were out of sight and earshot.

"I swear, you could get a tooth ache spending just five minutes with Lila." Helga muttered, returning to her seat. "Come on, girls can be sweet but no girl could be THAT sweet on a daily constant basis."

"Like you said Helga, there's a first time for everything." Arnold smirked lightly.

She blushed wildly and waved it off. "Oh be quiet. Who asked you?"

"You did."

Helga rolled her eyes, taking the last cheese cube and eating it. "Mmm-mmm, good cheese. So Arnoldo, what do you propose we do now? We just ate, and while I do have a stomach of steel, I fear it will be a bad idea to go on a fast ride, since you might throw up and all."

Finishing his soda, Arnold looked around, and came to see the Tunnel of Love not too far away. He blushed at the idea of it, wondering if that would be such a good idea. It was a slow, easy ride. You didn't have to be in love to ride it, it was just for romantic atmosphere.

"Um...we could go on the Tunnel of Love if you want. I mean, you know, friends can ride it." Arnold shrugged, seeming cool and casual about it, despite that he was blushing furiously.

Helga raised one side of her brow, and gave a light smirk. "Well...so the football head wants to go on the Tunnel of Love with little ol' me. All right, Arnoldo, let's go on it." She batted her eyelashes at him flirtatiously.

Arnold blushed a little more and got up from the table, unconsciously taking her hand and going over to the Tunnel of Love. Thankfully, neither of their classmates were in sight. The line was short, so they didn't have to wait too long.

"Well, you know, no reason friends can't ride it, right?" Arnold rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

Helga snickered. "Then would you mind explaining to me as to why you're blushing, flustered, and holding my hand?"

"Huh?" He looked down at their joined hands and then hastily let go. "Oh, sorry."

"Gosh Arnold, given all the blushing, flirting and hand-holding, now with the Tunnel of Love, it almost seems like we're on a date." She joked, though deep down she wished it were true.

"Do...you want it to be?" He asked softly.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"N-Nothing, nothing. Look, it's our turn, we can get on now."

He stepped onto the boat, feeling it sway a little underneath him. He stepped over, and held out his hand for Helga.

She almost slapped it away out of instinct, but then realized how silly that would be at this point. So instead, she simply took his hand, and stepped in hesitantly, feeling it sway a little in her enterance.

They both sat down then, and Arnold let go of her hand after a moment, blushing a little.

She blinked at him, as the ride started, and their little swan boat entered into the dim, though quite romantic tunnel. Helga blinked, looking around at the surroundings with mild interest, for most of her interest was going to what she was seeing out of the corner of her eye. Arnold was sitting beside her, wringing his hands out of nerves, and glancing at her every few seconds. She blushed at all this, and couldn't help but be silently grateful that it was too dim in there for her blush to be fully visible. She cleared her throat, leaning back in the boat casually and speaking somewhat quietly, as was the effects of the atmosphere, "Um, Arnold, don't look so nervous. We're just friends here. There's really no reason to be nervous." She cursed herself silently, at realizing how nervous her voice actually sounded there.

Arnold took a deep breath, and leaned back also, trying to relax. "Sorry, Helga. It's just..." He looked away nervously.

She blinked at him, and scooted a little closer to him to put a hand on his shoulder hesitantly. "Arnold, it's okay. I know it's a little awkward, but you were the one to say that friends could do these sorts of things." She smiled, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.

He looked over at her, and felt a smile tugging at his lips after a moment. "You're right, I did say that... because it's true." He added the ending quickly, blushing a little again, before regaining his smile. "This is just a friends thing."

She smiled back, nodding. "Of course. Friends thing ONLY." She leaned a bit closer, unconsciously letting the hand resting on his shoulder drop.

Arnold smile softened and he nodded slightly, leaning a bit closer. "Because we are only friends."

She leaned a bit closer, feeling greatly intoxicated by his aroma... she really did have to find out what kind of shampoo he used sometime. She blinked away these thoughts, and leaned a little closer. "Mmm-hmm,"

He rested his hand in the space between them, and leaned over a bit more, their lips only inches apart. "Yup,"

They both leaned a bit closer, and their eyes began to drift shut...

Before long, their lips brushed.

Helga set her hand between them also to maintain her balance, and in doing this, her hand settled right on top of his.

They both leaned a bit closer, adding firmer pressure between their lips.

Arnold's heart was beating wildly, and he could feel the butterflies swarming around in his stomach crazily. A warm chill swept over him, and he kissed her a bit harder at the feeling.

For Helga though, her entire body was practically painfully stinging with utter ecstasy. She let out a small, almost inaudible moan, and attempted to deepen the kiss.

Arnold felt her tongue pressing up against his lip, and felt a blush once again crawl up his neck. He opened his mouth curiously, allowing her hot, cheesy tongue to dart in and explore his mouth hungrily. He was slightly taken aback by her enthusiasm, but also couldn't deny how nice it felt, and neither could the added butterflies in his stomach.

They felt light begin to seep in through their eyelids, and their eyes snapped open, and their mouths snapped apart in realization that the ride was just ending.

As the ride was coming to a stop, they were both now sitting on the farther ends of the boat, as far apart as possible, with wide eyes and dark red cheeks, both looking tense.

After a moment, Helga laughed, extremely nervously, and began climbing out of the boat. "Heh, heh... well what do ya know! Friends can apparently make out too." She laughed again, but her laugh was cut off with a yelp when she suddenly slipped a bit on some water from the ride (And the swaying of the boat wasn't helping), and fell backwards into Arnold's lap.

He stared down at her in alarm, a dark blush still set on his cheeks. He laughed nervously, and leaned over her face a little. "Um, yeah, apparently they... can." He gulped, and squirmed a bit, as she began removing herself from his lap.

They struggled, and Helga only succeeded in falling back again.

"Okay, this is not working. I'll get up slowly, and you can support me so I'll stay standing. I'll get out first and then you can follow. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Here we go."

Helga grasped either side of the boat and pushed herself up. Arnod held her waist gently with trembling hands, but still strong enough to support her. She stepped out of the boat and heaved a sigh of relief. He stood up and stepped out also with no problem. They walked off together, avoiding each other's gazes, blushing furiously, each thinking the same thing.

What just happened back there?

They had gone beyond the "just friends" code. Friends didn't flirt, friends didn't blush around each other, friends didn't blush BECAUSE of each other, friends didn't go on romantic dates, friends didn't kiss, and friends especially didn't make out. So what were they doing?

In their own perspectives, letting their feelings for the other get in the way of everything. In the perspective of the other person, the heat of the moment.

But even the heat of the moment couldn't adequately explain it.

Needless to say, Helga was inwardly jumping for joy, her mind screaming over and over about how she not only got to kiss him, but also to make out with him. Especially since it was MUTUAL. Sure, kissing alone wasn't very common among nine year olds, and making out went far beyond what kids their age did. But did she care? Not in the least. So the kiss got a little deep and passionate. It was no one's business but their own. Despite the whole situation at hand, she swooned happily, remembering the entire feeling and the taste of him, which had been amazing. Sure, the first time they'd kissed was really nice, but this one definitely took the cake.

But there was still that level of uncertainty in the air. Why? Why did it happen? It was definitely mutual, but how? Could he possibly have a crush on her?

Wishful thinking, she knew, but it was a possibility, right?

She weighed the possibilties of it, wondering if maybe, just maybe, he might. He wore cologne (despite its terrible scent), blushed a lot and got flustered when he was around her, he asked her to the Cheese Festival when he could have easily asked another girl, he enjoyed being with her, he wanted to spend more time with her, he flirted with her, and when they kissed, which was initiated by them both, he didn't pull away or seem at all repulsed. He had kissed back, and even allowed it to deepen.

'_Could he like me too? The evidence is pointing to yes, so could he? Oh, Arnold...I must know, do you like me too? Please say you do! ...Oh who am I kidding, I'm just apparently a close friend he probably doesn't mind flirting or kissing with...' _She thought.

Arnold meanwhile, was also thinking of this, both excited and lovesick, while also, feeling nervous and very uncertain. They were just friends, they had come here together just as friends, and yet they had gone beyond what friends have done, quite a few times in fact. And now this. They had just made out as if they were a couple in love. Why? Why had they done that? More over, why did she deepen in like that? Was she curious? Had she heard or read about making out and wanted to try it? That had to be it.

Or was it the possible yet impossible notion that she liked him too?

Completely unsure, he wasn't sure what to think then. His mind was too clouded with it all, and yet he couldn't shake off the feeling of their kiss. He did enjoy their first kiss, the kiss she had planted on his cheek was sweet in itself, but this kiss had been...pretty amazing. The butterflies in his stomach still hadn't dissipated, and as deep and far as it was, far beyond what he could have expected, he didn't mind the idea of it occurring again.

But would it?

The question still lingered. Now what?

Before either of them could ponder it further, disaster was on its way.

Some ways ahead, surrounding a cheese vendor, were all of their classmates. It was located in a very open spot too, so if they tried to escape, their peers would undoubtedly see them no matter what direction they went in.

"Oh CRIMINY!" Helga hissed loud enough for only Arnold to hear. "That's it! I'm done. I'm out of here!"

Before he could stop her, she ran off into the crowd, disappearing from sight before any of their peers could spot her.

"Helga! Helga wait!" Arnold called after her.

"Arnold? Hey Arnold! What's goin' on, man?" Gerald asked as he and Phoebe came over, looking surprised and concerned. "Where'd Helga go?"

"She ran off." Arnold said with disappointment. "We cam here and saw everyone surrounding the vendor, and she ran off because everyone would see us together."

"Oh...." Phoebe realized, and understood immediately. "I'm so sorry, Arnold... I didn't think it would get to that point. But I suppose I should have."

He smiled sadly. "It's okay, Phoebe. It's not your fault. I don't blame her, I can understand why she feels this way. I just...wish it didn't have to be that our own classmates ruled her life."

"Mmmm mmmm mmm." Gerald said, shaking his head. "That's just the way things are, man. So hey, what'cha doing standing around here for? Go! You gotta go after her!"

"I concur with Gerald. You and Helga need to go to a place where you won't be seen or disturbed." Phoebe agreed.

Arnold nodded. "You're right. I definitely don't want tonight to end like this. Thanks, guys!" He waved and then ran off after Helga, guessing where she might have gone.

Phoebe smiled at his retreating form and looked back at Gerald. "It seems you were indeed correct, Gerald. He has a crush on her."

"Told ya." Gerald chuckled, his arm snaking around her waist. "What say we go get some more cheese and hope for the best for them?"

"Sure, I'd love to." She beamed at him and blushed.

--~~--

Arnold ran through the crowd, heading to the entrance, figuring that Helga had left in order to escape the prying eyes of their peers. The entrance arch came into view, but no Helga. His gut ached, but he kept going. He had to find her.

Coming out onto the sidewalk, Arnold took a deep breath and looked around frantically for her. As it turned out, she was sitting on the curb at the end of the street.

"Helga? Helga!" Arnold jogged over to her. "Helga...are you okay?"

She didn't respond for a few moments before she sighed heavily. "I'm just peachy, football head. We were nearly caught, so I feel just wonderful."

"Helga... I can understand why you don't want the others to see us together, but-"

"That's just it! We CAN'T be seen together! It'll ruin my reputation!" Helga cried, standing up and flailing her arms. "They'll walk all over me, and you! They'll eat us alive! They'll...they'll bring back the 'Arnold Loves Helga' fiasco and we'd have to practically skip town just to escape it! I can't do this." Tears unwittingly pooled in her eyes. "We shouldn't see each other like this, it just...we can't. We really shouldn't. For the sake of our lives."

Arnold tensed, and shook his head. "No! No...Helga, I don't want to do that." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "And I know you don't want to either. I...I like you. I really like you, and I've never had so much fun with a girl like I've had with you, and I don't want us to stop hanging out together because our classmates won't approve of it. I know it's not easy for you, and hey, it's a big step for me too, considering what we've been through, but that was the past. This is now, and I know that I can never go back to what we used to have. I'm glad to have you in my life like this Helga, I really am. I really like being with you." He brought a hand to her cheek, wiping off her falling tears.

Helga stared at him in awe, her eyes still wide and sparkling with tears. She could feel that her cheeks were a bit wet, and Arnold just smiled slightly dreamily, and wiped them away tenderly still. She melted at his touch, though she tried desperately not to show it. She hated being so vulnerable around him. Heck, she hated being vulnerable, period. But... he was being so sweet. And the things he said. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't help but lean in slightly to his touch, and sigh quietly in contentment. "You really mean that, Arnold?'

Arnold just continued to stroke her cheek, somewhat absently now as her tears were ceasing. He smild at her question, and stopped in his caresses, opting to simply holding her cheek in his hand. "Of course I mean it, Helga." He smiled a bit wider at her, and then looked around them, then back to her. "We should get out of here, Helga. If you're still uncomfortable, then I think we should go somewhere more private. Would that make you happy?" He asked softly, looking up into her blue eyes.

She smiled at him, and sighed. "Fine. But we do need to have a serious talk about all this..." She waved her arms around wildly, and Arnold withdrew his hand in surprise.

He smiled, grabbing one of her currently elevated hands and taking it in both of his. "Sure, Helga. How does Slausens sound? No one's really there, because of the Cheese Festival and all. We should be safe there. No more craziness." He kissed her hand in reassurance, and smiled up at her.

She blinked at his gesture, trying desperately to hold herself back from breaking out into a jig right then and there, and shrugged. "S-Sure. I could go for some ice cream."

He nodded, and let go of her hand, then took it back into his own as they began walking down the sidewalk towards Slausens.

Helga sighed again, quiet enough that Arnold wouldn't hear, and looked away. 'Well, Helga ol' girl, you've done it again. You've gotten yourself into some insane situation where your love for Arnold was almost discovered by the world. Brilliant. Just brilliant. Now what am I supposed to do? Here he is, wanting to spend loads more time with me, and of course I want to spend time with him, but...' She sighed again, bringing her free hand up to massage her temples. 'This is all getting out of hand. We were almost caught, what? Four or five times? In ONE NIGHT! And why?! Because I just HAD to go out with Arnold again. Of course...' She sighed to herself, and shook her head, unconsciously squeezing his hand in comfort.

Arnold felt her squeeze, and smiled to himself, squeezing back gently in reassurance, while on the inside he felt quite different. 'What is going on with me? I mean, this was supposed to be a just friends thing, but look at us. We're holding hands, and... and...' He gulped. 'kissing, and we're just...' He sighed, deciding to just get it out. 'We're acting like a couple. And you know what, I like it... a lot. I don't get it... or any of this, really. Why do I feel so weird? I've never... there's the regular butterflies in my stomach from when I have a crush, but... they're so much more intense. And my heart is beating really fast and... I feel really warm and, sorta nice.' A goofy grin threatened to present itself on his face, but he snapped out of it, now simply looking confused. 'I thought I had more self control than this.' He sighed. 'I mean, I take her out, we have an awesome time, and that was supposed to be it. Nothing more. But instead, we have an awesome time, and I end up liking her even more than I did before, and we even end up...' He gulped again. 'kissing a LOT. But... why do I feel so... different? Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say I was actually falling in-'

His thoughts were cut off when Helga suddenly came to a stop, and in being so lost in thought, he didn't realize, and got tugged backward next to her. He blinked a couple times, and then looked over at Helga curiously.

She smiled somewhat nervously at him, and gestured forward with her head. He blinked again, and looked before them to see Slausens. He could hear her laugh a little, and looked over towards her curiously.

She was laughing, one of her more sweet laughs, almost like a giggle. The kind that made his heart beat fast and his cheeks shade with a dash of pink. She stopped though, after only a few seconds, and looked down at him. "Head in the clouds again, Arnold?"

He blinked at her, but then smiled a little. "Yeah, I guess." He laughed a little to himself, and let go of her hand. He went forward and opened the door for her, gesturing for her to go first.

She smiled at him, and walked on in, as he silently watched her move past him. He could faintly smell something vanilla like, and also really cheesy... he knew it was Helga, and... he liked it.

He let out a light sigh, before following in after her.

"So what do you want, football head? Guess I'll buy this time." Helga said, her eyes scanning the menu. "I'm gonna get a jelly bean blizzard. And actually eat the black ones, since they're the best ones."

Arnold looked at her in surprise as he came up beside her. "Really? You like the black jelly beans?"

"Doi, of course! I don't get why people don't like them. They're awesome! You like them?" She looked down at him with a playful smirk.

"Yeah, actually, I do. I really like licorice." Arnold admitted.

"Well! Then looks like you and I are going to get along just fine. So then, wha'tll you have?"

Arnold scanned the menu for a minute, contemplating what he was in the mood for. He gave a smile and nodded as he made his decision. "You know, I think I'll just have what you're having."

"Copycat." Helga stuck her tongue out at him. "All righty, you get us a table and I'll get the goods." She walked over to the counter and rang the push-bell.

"Whatever you say, Helga." He smiled and then went over to a table, taking a seat as he waited for her.

While he did, he thought some more about what had happened tonight. They'd had a great time together, having lots of fun. Sure, all the ducking and dodging from their peers wasn't exactly appealing, though it did admittedly add excitement, even if they could do without it. He thought once more, about all that they were doing. This had been a just friends thing, and yet, they acted like a couple.

'Why did we do all that? I mean...we didn't force each other...it was all mutual, right? Even when she kissed me with her....tongue... I didn't even pull back. I let her, and I even tried to return it. Why did I do that? I mean, I know I have a crush on her and all, but why would se...?' He shook his head. 'No...she probably just got lost in the moment, or was humouring me. ...Right?'

Arnold looked toward Helga as she was leaning over the counter, waiting for the server to give them their ice cream. His gaze became lovesick and dreamy as he rested his head on his hand, gazing at her lovingly.

'I guess I really do like more than I did before... I think I might even be falling in lo-'

"And here we go, two jelly bean blizzards, courtesy of moi." Helga declared, slapping one down in front of him before she sat down across from him. "Were you daydreaming again, football head?"

"Um...oh, I guess." Arnold blushed a bit, taking the plastic spoon from the cup and proceeding to eat the ice cream.

"You are such a dreamer, Arnoldo." Helga teased, shaking her head. "I think it's time you got your football head out of the clouds."

He sighed, and shook his head a little. "I can't help it if I daydream a lot. It's involuntary." He smiled as he took the first bite of his blizzard.

"You wanna know a secret?" Helga asked in a low voice suddenly, leaning across the table towards him.

Arnold blinked at her, and leaned forward a little too, responding in a hushed tone. "Sure, I guess."

She smirked, lowering her voice again. "I actually daydream a lot." She snapped back up from the table, and continued eating her ice cream, not even looking at him.

He blinked, also straightening up in his seat, though much slower, trying to process this little piece of information. "Wait a minute... so you're always getting on me for daydreaming, and saying that I'm stupid for it, when all this time you've been doing the same thing?"

She simply shrugged, continuing to eat her blizzard.

Arnold smirked a little. "Hypocrite."

She nearly choked on her ice cream, before glaring at him slightly. She shook her head, and crossed her arms over her chest. "No, I am not. It just adds to how awesome I am." She smirked. "I can make fun of you, and there will never be any reprocussions whatsoever. Not even on my psyche."

He sighed again, though a smile was present on his face. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Doi," She smiled at him, and continued digging into her ice cream.

Arnold smiled a little and scooped up some more of his frozen treat into his spoon, asking nonchalantly, "So, what do you daydream about?"

Helga froze in her actions, and slowly sat the spoon aside, looking at Arnold with a blank, almost pensive expression, "I daydream about... sports."

Arnold raised an eyebrow at that. "Sports?"

"Y-Yeah, you know, baseball, hockey, bowling, wrestling... football." She shrugged. "Nothing like what you daydream about I'm sure." She muttered under her breath sarcastically.

"I've daydreamed about sports before." He stated in a slightly defensive tone, having heard her.

"Oh?" She questioned, beginning to pick out the little licorice jelly beans, and popping them in her mouth.

"Well, yeah. Of course that's not all I daydream about, but... I do on occasion." He shrugged.

"Okay, then what the heck have you been daydreaming about tonight? I keep finding you with some dazed look in your eyes, and it's been getting a little annoying." She smiled at him, despite her words.

He tensed slightly at her question, and stuffed a big spoon full of ice cream in his mouth to help stall his response. Once he'd swallowed finally, he wiped his mouth with a napkin, and attempted a smile at her. "W-Well, I've been... daydreaming about... stuff. Different stuff. It's um, never the same thing exactly." He managed to stutter out, looking really nervous.

She blinked at him, raising one side of her eyebrow at him. "Okay, Stutter Bug, whatever." She rolled her eyes a little, though it was more playful than anything, and stuffed some more ice cream into her mouth.

"Stutter Bug?" Arnold parrotted, unable to keep from smiling.

"Yeah, that's what I said. 'Cause you stuttered."

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Good boy. Well, anyhow..." The blonde girl paused a moment, trying to think of a way to ease off the tension. "So...we had fun there, even with all the epic ducking and doging."

Arnold blushed a little, looking down at his ice cream cup. "Yeah, we did have fun." He looked at her then and smiled. "You know, um, thanks for agreeing to go with me. I'm glad we did."

"Thanks? Well that's new, actually thanking the person you asked out." Helga mused, and giggled. "Gosh, you are too nice, football head. You go as far as even thanking someone for something you don't even need to thank them for! Don't get me wrong, the gesture's nice and all, but wow, you are something."

"Well...yeah, I know I don't need to thank you, but I don't know, it felt like the right thing to do." Arnold admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was pretty nervous to ask, to be honest. Because I really wanted to go with you."

Her eyebrow shot up to her hairline, her eyes widening. "...Really? You did?"

"Yeah, I really did. Our date was a lot of fun, and I really wanted to take a chance and have fun with you like a couple of friends would, you know? So, I guess you can see why I'm thankful you accepted."

"Is that right?" Helga blushed and smirked a little, eating more ice cream. "Well, hair boy, I guess you really couldn't get enough of little ol' me, could you? There's just one problem with all this."

"Huh? Problem?"

"Friends don't exactly act like a couple. C'mon Arnoldo, we've held hands, flirted, blushed and flushed, and heck, we even kissed. I don't know about you, but that's a bit off, don't you think?"

Uh-oh. He was afraid this would come up. Then again, he should have expected it somehow, since they did need to talk about it. But how? He DID want to admit he had feelings for her, but fear was eating at his gut, as well as anxiety. What if she rejected him? Or worse, never wanted to hang out again? It would crush him, a lot more than he cared to admit. He really didn't want to lose her.

Still, what if she suspected something after what happened tonight? It was pretty hard to constitute their actions as anything but romantic. Then again, she did return it all, or was doing the same thing at the same time as him, if she'd really objected to their more-than-friends actions, she would have said so...very forcefully, and he would never get near her in that way again, respecting her wishes. But no, it was as if the air was open for whatever. No boundaries.

What was going on here?

"I-I guess we did...act like we were more than friends." Arnold murmured finally. "I-I'm sorry if it ever made you feel uncomfortable, Helga."

"Nah, relax, I think you'd know by now if it was that uncomfortable. I mean, we're friends, right?"

"Yeah, friends."

"And I guess...we got carried away, or something."

"Carried away, yeah, I guess that's one way to put it." He lowered his gaze to his ice cream.

"Heat of the moment, how about that?" She shrugged.

He sighed sadly to himself, and nodded, toying around with his spoon in his ice cream. "Yup,"

She sensed his sadness, and frowned a little. "Hey, Arnold..." She hesitated, "is everything okay?"

He looked up at her, and feigned a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking."

"About..." She prompted, leaning in slightly from across the table.

"Well," He shifted his eyes away, feeling a bit nervous. "what if... what if it... wasn't really in the heat of the moment? You know, hypothetically." He looked at her.

She blinked at him, feeling caught a bit off guard. "Well, wouldn't that be interesting?" She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest and taking on a thoughtful gaze. "Well, then I guess that would imply that we liked eachother, but we don't. Well, at least not in THAT way, so it doesn't really matter." She shrugged, a small dash of sadness and resentment in her eyes, directed at herself, though she knew that she still had to keep her secret a secret. 'Oh, Arnold, if only I could admit to you how much I adore your beautiful football head...'

"Oh." He looked back down at his ice cream, feeling his heart sink. "That's, um, true... I guess." He sighed a little to himself.

She slurped up the last of her ice cream, and smiled a forced smile. "Well, I'm done, how about you?"

Arnold stared down at his ice cream cup, seeing the few jelly beans floating around in the melted substance. He sighed again, looking up at her. "Yeah, I'm not really all that hungry anymore." He smiled at her best he could, sliding out of their booth.

She slid out also, cup in hand, and walked over to throw it away, with Arnold following after. They threw out their cups, and then looked to eachother.

Arnold smiled. "Can I walk you home?"

She smirked, and shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Whatever floats your boat."

They walked out of the restaurant, Arnold holding the door open for Helga, and then they began walking down the sidewalk towards her house.

"So..." Arnold started, his hands behind his back, "what do you think of..." He racketed his brain. "David Letterman?"

"He's got funny hair." She stated dryly, her arms crossed over her chest.

"He's hardly got any hair."

"Why do you think it's funny?" She smirked at him.

He chuckled a little, and then looked ahead of them, realizing they'd once again come to a dead end in the conversation department. He thought for a moment, and then looked over at her curiously. "Helga, this may sound weird but..." He looked away for a second, then looked back at her. "why does your dad call you by your older sister's name?"

She stiffened visibly, but then scowled at him. "None of your beeswax, Football Head."

"Yeah, and you always get defensive whenever the subject of your family gets brought up." He stared at her, feeling almost worried.

"Well I-!" She nearly brought on her usual fury, but then seeing his concerned face made her stop in her tracks, and she sighed in defeat, seeming to deflate like a balloon. "Just...don't ask me about it, okay? It's not something I want to talk about. It doesn't matter, okay?"

"I know Helga." He stopped then, and came around in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. "I know it's a hard issue to talk about, and I'm sorry if I make you feel uncomfortable about it, and I'm not trying to. I'm just concerned about you, and it hurts me to know that there are problems in your household. But I won't force it out of you. If you ever want to talk about it, you can talk to me anytime. Really, even if it's at three in the morning." He sighed lightly, and brought a hand to her cheek. "I care about you, Helga. Don't doubt it, that's why I asked."

Helga's eyes widened as his hand met her cheek for the second time that night, sending her heart pounding a million miles an hour and felt her cheeks getting hot. He was so kind, so caring, so sweet, it made her just want to melt into a puddle! Or better yet, throw her arms around him and smother him with all her love. Heck, it even made her want to actually talk about it all.

But she couldn't. Not yet anyway. It just didn't feel right to do.

Still, his gesture was very sweet, and she didn't doubt that he was only asking because he was concerned about her.

"....Y-Yeah, you're right, hair boy. I'm sorry I snapped at you...you were just trying to help and I guess I was a little too defensive." She finally said.

Arnold was taken aback by her apology, but he recovered and smiled warmly, his hand still on her cheek, not that he really realized it. "It's okay, Helga. It was insensitive of me to ask you of something so personal and all."

'Oh goodness, you poor Angel! How could you ever think of such a thing?! You were so sweet to question your concern! My darling, how could I be so terrible to you...why can't I just push it all aside and talk about it?' She thought, her heart skipping a beat.

"Nah, don't worry about it. You were just doing what you do best. I can't exactly condemn you for being yourself." Helga shrugged. "C'mon, let's get on home."

"Okay." He smiled and pulled back, returning to her side so they could walk along. "Still friends?"

"Doi, of course." Helga rolled her eyes, and took his hand out of habit. "I may be bad but I'm not that heartless. Couldn't live with myself if you showed up at school all sad because I told you to beat it."

Arnold snickered. "If you put it that way, then I guess I'd just have to walk up to you with Bambi eyes."

"You wouldn't." Helga held her free hand to her mouth, holding back a laugh as she tried to imagine her dear beloved with Bambi eyes.

"I don't know, I don't know if I could make good Bambi eyes."

"Well, let's see it then. Allow a second pair of eyes who can actually see your eyes to be the judge."

"Oh, okay." Arnold looked up at her, widening his green eyes and putting a lot of sadness and plead into them.

Helga was taken aback for a moment at how adorable and heart-wrenching he looked then. If he ever gave her those eyes, she could never refuse him. No one could say no to that face.

"Awww, well aren't you just precious." Helga giggled, poking his nose with her free hand.

"Really?" Arnold looked at her finger cross-eyed and gently pushed it away.

"Well yeah, you could win people over with those eyes." She winked at him. "Want free candy? They'd give it to you."

"I do like free candy, but I would never con people into doing things that aren't right just because I'd be able to win them over like that."

"Of course you wouldn't. You wouldn't be Arnold if you did. Like I said football head, don't ever change."

He smiled lovingly at her, squeezing her hand. "I won't, Helga."

Her eyes widened. Did he just smile at her the same way he looked at all those girls he liked?

She shook her head frantically. No, she was just imagining it. She had to have been.

--~~--

The walk had been short, a little too short, because soon they arrived at her doorstep. Both of them were silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say or do next.

"Well...here we are." Helga finally said. "Um, you know, not for nothing, but thanks for walking me home."

"Anytime, Helga." Arnold smiled. "So...well, thanks again for coming out with me tonight. I had a lot of fun with you. I really did."

She blushed. "I'm glad I came out with you too...I had fun also. Um so, you still up for next Sunday? Going to see our little reptile buddies?"

He nodded. "Sure, Helga. If you still want to."

"Doi, that's why I asked!" Helga rolled her eyes and snickered. "You're too much, football head. So good, it's settled then."

"All right, great. ...Um, well, I guess I'd better get going."

"What, no goodnight kiss?" Helga quipped. It was a joke, despite how true it was.

Arnold's cheeks turned bright pink. "W-Wait, what? Seriously?"

"No! ...I mean, not like we haven't...kissed before."

"Yeah...I'm still sorry about that..."

"Don't be...we both were responsible."

He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess we were."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Silence befell them then, the only sounds heard then were the occasional car driving by and the distant city noises, even the distant roar of a train engine. Their eyes darted everywhere as they stood at the bottom of her stoop, feeling the uncertainty in the air, as well as the tension that made itself present.

Before long, their eyes met, and time itself seem to stop. This was bad. So very bad. Any second now and the tension would be too great for them to handle.

And yet, did they even want to avoid it?

Arnold was unsure of himself so much more now, as he looked into her hypnotic, deep blue eyes that seemed to hold the calmness and fury of the ocean all at once. Not once did he imagine that he would be standing before Helga of all people, falling more and more in love with her, and having the desire to hold her and kiss her, to be much more than just friends. Despite her defensive walls, she was such a great girl and he loved to be with her. If they dated, well, it'd be great, really great. He could see now, that it was more than just a puppy crush. He REALLY liked her. REALLY liked her.

This wasn't good.

He leaned closer to her.

She leaned closer to him.

Slowly, very slowly, but surely, they moved closer to each other.

Within seconds, their lips met for the second time that evening.

Helga let out a soft, nearly inaudible moan and pulled him closer to her, applying more pressure to his lips. Arnold was taken aback, but he didn't resist and kissed her back with equal furvor. Her tongue poked at his lips, and his heart jumped as he slowly opened his mouth to welcome her tongue once more. The taste of ice cream, cheese and yahoo soda filled his tastebuds as their tongues met in their second most deep and intimate kiss ever.

It was so wrong. Kids their age didn't make out. It was too much! Especially if they weren't dating. Why were they doing this? The heat of the moment?

Her hands came around his neck and the back of his head, tilting the smaller boy back a bit as she explored his mouth, savouring the addicting taste of ice cream and jelly beans, especially the hint of the licorice flavoured jelly bean.

Feeling his insides explode with such a foreign but amazing feeling, he brought his hands to her shoulders to steady himself, feeling the soft strands of her hair brushing his hands. His legs were going weak and his insides literally seemed to melt as if on fire.

The lack of oxygen was getting to them and they pulled away, looking at each other in amazement and confusion, panting lightly.

"What the heck are we doing?"

"H-Heat of the moment...I guess."

"We have to stop."

"You're right."

They kissed again.

This time, it was softer and gentle, with a tint of passion. Helga moaned softly, this time he could feel and hear it. She brought her arms down around his neck, one hand then tracing up and down his spine, sending shivers of pleasure through him. Arnold leaned closer, returning the favour by stroking her back with one hand with his other played with her soft golden locks.

For a while they kissed under the dimmed light of the street lamps, and before long, the clouds had rolled in and it started to rain. Neither of them noticed at first, not until they pulled away again.

"Oh...looks like it's raining." Helga said, as if he needed to know.

"Yeah...it is." Arnold managed, smiling shakily. "Well, I'd better go before it rains any harder."

"You sure? I could give you an umbrella."

"No Helga, it's okay. I wouldn't want to-"

"Save it, football head. You can give it back to me on Monday." Helga cut him off. "Wait here."

She went up the front stoop and went inside the house, reaching into the umbrella rack and then coming out with a spare umbrella, handing it to him.

"Here, you can use this."

Arnold smiled, accepting it. "Thanks, Helga...that was really nice of you to look out for me like that."

"Well, doi! That's what friends do. They look out for each other. Now go on home before you catch a cold."

"Whatever you say, Helga."

He opened the umbrella and met her eyes again for a moment. He went closer to her and rose himself on tiptoe, pecking her on the mouth.

"Goodnight, Helga."

"N-Night, Arnold..." She smiled shakily and then went inside, shutting the door behind her.

He watched a few moments, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Despite everything, it had been a wonderful evening.

"...I think I love you, Helga." Arnold murmured softly before he walked off down the street to get home.

Meanwhile, inside her house, Helga had managed to make it upstairs to her room before she collapsed onto her bed, hugging her locket to her giddily.

"Oh Arnold!! I love you I love you I love you I love you!"

It was the end of another perfect "date" together. Even with the way things went, hopefully it would be better in the future.


	2. All In The Family

**A/N:**

**Elvis is in the building! Oh! Oops! I meant Singr and Nintendo./Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen!**

**NintendoGal55: Today's "episode" is based on "Weird Cousin"! :D**

**SuprSingr: Oh, yes, you can already smell that strange scent of cow manure radiating off Arnie. XD**

**NintendoGal55: So sit back and enjoy the ride! ...And enjoy a jealous, lovesick Arnold!**

**SuprSingr: I know I love a good jealous, lovesick Arnold! :D And believe us, it's a doozy!**

**The following is a SuprNintendo Production, written by both SuprSingr and NintendoGal55.**

**Disclaimer: Not saying it again, morons!/Nope, nope, nope.**

It had been an interesting few first days. Arnold's cousin Arnie had come over for a visit, and Arnold, as expected, had to baby sit him for a little while. But then suddenly, Arnie started going out with Lila, and before he knew it, he hardly ever even saw Arnie. It was a dream come true, and the whole arrangment seemed to make Lila pretty happy. Arnold was happy for them, though he still couldn't figure out what Lila saw in him. Oh well, it didn't matter... until...

Arnie had been watching Helga very closly it seemed. He'd watch as she'd play hopscotch, jump rope, and even just eat her lunch. Arnold hadn't noticed... not until...

"Lila," Arnie began, looking at Lila with dull, listless eyes as he blinked one at a time.

"Why, yes, Arnie?" She asked sweetly, setting her gift for him aside and giving him all her attention.

She never saw it coming. Neither did Helga...

"Hey Helga,"

Helga looked in the direction of the voice, and her eyes widened. "A-Arnie, what a... pleasant surprise." She said sarcastically, scowling slightly, and setting her half eaten sandwich aside and giving Arnie an impatient look. "Well, what is it, Taco Head? I don't have all day ya know."

"I love you."

And that was when it all started.

Arnold sat at his table near where Helga was sitting with Arnie, looking utterly mortified as he announced how he wanted them to spend every waking moment together. Arnold blinked at this, and looked over to Lila who currently had her head resting on the table, looking very sad. He probably would have gone over to try and make her feel better, if he wasn't so distracted with Arnie seemingly making a move on Helga. He knew that he didn't have anything to worry about. Helga had no interest in Arnie whatsoever... right? He obviously wasn't the coolest guy around. Or the most attractive. Or the most interesting. But... Lila obviously saw SOMETHING of value in him, and if someone like Lila could see it... then there was no doubt in Arnold's mind that Helga could very possibly see it too. Maybe not now of course, since he could just see by her expression that she was already plotting her escape, but who was to say that she wouldn't eventually start... liking him... a lot?

Arnold stiffened at the idea, gripping his sandwich a bit harder than necessary. He knew he was probably being a bit paranoid... but still, this was... this could be... very, very, very bad. Could anyone really blame him for wanting to be a little extra cautious?

Stinky came over suddenly, and sat down, staring over at Arnie as he was practically planning their wedding with Helga. "Well, gosh, Arnold. Looks like Arnie's takin' a likin' to Helga."

Arnold simply stared at them, mustard beginning to squish out of his sandwich from his unecessary squeezing.

Stinky though, didn't notice, and continued. "Helga sure doesn't look too happy about it though. In fact, she looks down right mortified. Although, did you see how lovesick Miss Lila got over Arnie? It makes ya wonder if Arnie is going to do the same thing to Helga."

Arnold sat his sandwich down, and stood from his seat, walking over towards the new "happy" couple.

"Hey, Arnold, where'r'ya goin'?" Stinky questioned in his usual southern drawl.

Arnold answered, not even looking back at him as he continued walking. "Just going to set some things straight."

Stinky blinked, but then shrugged. "Okey dokey."

"And I have a lucky pile of dirt. I even named it," Arnie snorted. "it's name is... lucky pile of dirt."

Helga pursed her lips together tightly, her eyes wide as her poor brain was still trying to process what was happening to her.

Arnold walked over to the table, and put his palms down on it, looking between the two. "Hey, Arnie," He looked to Helga. "Helga, um..." He looked back at Arnie as he spoke. "What's going on here?"

Arnie answered dully, snorting. "I was just telling Helga more about myself. We're going to a movie tonight too." He blinked one eye at a time, and snorted once again.

Arnold blinked at that, and looked back over to Helga's stiff form. "Is that true, Helga?"

She didn't answer, just sat there, unblinking.

Arnold became a bit concerned, and he waved a hand in front of her face. "Helga... are you okay?"

She blinked finally, and looked over at Arnold, her eyes still wide and almost frightened. "Uh... I don't know... I might have a pretty busy schedule planned out for tonight." She laughed nervously, looking away from both football headed boys.

Arnie looked over at her. "That's not true, Helga. I asked your dad what your plans were for today... and tomorrow." He snorted. "He said that you weren't really doing anything."

Helga stiffened again, and shut her eyes tight this time. "Oh did he?" She asked slowly with an obvious edge to her voice, clutching at the table.

Arnie snorted again. "Yeah..."

Arnold blinked at all this, looking between them in a distressed fashion. "Uh... okay, then... I guess I'll just... go." He stayed for another moment, before reluctantly turned around, and walking back over to his table.

"Huh, what's with him..." Arnie watched after his cousin for a moment before looking back at Helga. "Where was I... Oh yeah, I like plain flavoured gum, I like to count things, I like to read the ingredients at the back of packages, I collect lint..."

This was bad, VERY bad. The taco-head of all people was convinced he was in love with her! This was NOT good! Helga scooted further out of her chair, trying to get away from all this while plotting a good escape plan.

Back at his own table, Arnold tried to pay attention to his food, but his appetite was decreasing faster and faster by the second. He couldn't believe it, Arnie of all people had to fall in love with Helga! The same girl that tormented him all these years. The same girl that he immensely enjoyed hanging out with. The same girl he now had a huge crush on.

He looked away for a minute to try not to think about it, figuring to just brush it off as nonsense. It WAS nonsense, after all. There's no way Helga would ever like Arnie. She had to have much better standards than that. A girl as pretty, as talented and interesting as her had to be a lot more demanding. Arnold sighed, now holding a juice box, staring at it with a bit of a distressed gaze. So why was this getting to him so bad? Besides the obvious of getting a little unnerved when someone else put the moves on the girl you liked, of course.

Arnold sighed, and looked back toward the table Arnie sat at with Helga, and to his horror, his cousin was leaning toward Helga with his lips puckered. She let out an angered yelp and jumped up from her seat. His eyes widened and then narrowed angrily, his hand squishing the poor juice box so hard that the juice all flew out from the straw. That was IT! He stood abruptly from his seat, knocking his chair over, clenching his fists. He wanted to punch Arnie then, even though he hated inflicting violence on people, especially family members. But putting the moves on Helga AND making her uncomfortable by trying to kiss her were just crossing the line.

"Mmmm mmm mmmm. Man Arnold, what's with you? You look ready to kill something!" Gerald suddenly said, coming up to the table with his lunchbox in hand.

"Not _now_, Gerald." Arnold said in a low tone. "I have to set _Arnie_ straight."

"Say what?" Gerald followed his best friend's gaze, now seeing Helga angrily walking away from Arnie, who was casually following after her. "Ohhhhhhh. What happened to Lila? Wasn't he hangin' with her?"

"Apparently Lila wasn't _good_ enough was she..." Arnold said through clenched teeth, and was about to follow after them when Gerald grabbed his arm.

"Whoa whoa whoa there, Bruce Lee, you mind calmin' down here? You look ready to punch his lights out!" Gerald said, picking up Arnold's chair and sitting him down on it.

"That's because I am." Arnold got up again, but Gerald sat him back down.

"Arnold, you have got to calm down. Listen man, I know you're jealous and all, trust me, I'd feel the same way if some other dude was puttin' the moves on my Ph-"

"Jealous?!" Arnold cried in surprise, his anger melting away, now replaced with surprise. "Gerald, I'm not jealous! I just...well, I'm concerned, that's all."

"That too, but man, you are clearly jealous. Why else would you be willin' to just go and knock the living daylights out of him?"

"No! I'm not jealous! It's just that Helga can do so much better than him, and he was making her feel really uncomfortable, she doesn't deserve that. He even went as far as calling her dad and asking if she had plans tonight and tomorrow." Arnold sighed and let his head fall on the table. "I just got a little too concerned and upset by his actions, that's all."

"Arnold Arnold..." Gerald shook his head. "Okay, let me make it clear for you, man. You like Helga, right? Ya know, like her like her?"

Arnold blushed. "Yes, I do."

"And you're not too happy with Arnie putting the moves on her?"

"No."

"You're nervous about her possibly liking him back."

"Yeah..."

"And you get upset if he makes a move on her and she gets uncomfortable."

"Yes."

"And you'd be devastated if she DID like him back."

"Yes."

"Well Arnold, as the Master, I have one diagnosis result: You. Are. Jealous."

Arnold lifted his head from the table, realizing that Gerald was right and he sighed heavily, palming his face with both hands. "I'm a real basketcase."

Later on outside, Helga was now reduced to hiding behind trash cans just to avoid Arnie. This was ridiculous, how could he possibly be in love with her?! They had barely exchanged more than two words since he'd been here, he found counting things and a date with a girl equally as interesting, and he knew nothing about her!

"Yeeesh, what is WITH him?!" She muttered to herself, sinking lower behind the row of trash cans. "Just because he thinks he's Arnold's cousin that I'm gonna fall for him. Yeah RIGHT!"

She sighed then, and took out her locket, her discomfort and anger immediately melting as she looked at the sweet photo of her beloved.

"Oh Arnold my love...don't ever believe for one second that I would EVER consider your lame-o cousin...you my darling are the only one for me. Why would I dream of shoving aside what we have for HIM?" She kissed the photo, and then opened the inside, where she kept another photo in there to have with her at all times, along with a little inscription she recently had a jeweler engrave into it.

_**Arnold my soul, you are always in my heart. Love, Helga G. Pataki**_

The other photo tucked inside was a small print photo of the two of them from two Sundays ago when they'd gone to the reptile house together. They'd sat during a Hermotologist's presentation lecture and he showed the group a 10-foot Indian Python (Python molurus). He offered to take pictures of the people with the gorgeous snake, and Helga immediately went for it, dragging Arnold along though he wasn't protesting. The photo had the two of them standing with the snake drapped across their shoulders, Helga was laughing and grinning widely toward Arnold, who was laughing too with his eyes blinked shut. The snake had its head come around Arnold's head, laying its head against his cheek as if it were trying to get into the photo too.

They'd had a lot of fun that day, despite the accidental escape of a 15-foot Saltwater Crocodile, where they ran for their lives all the way to the lizard exhibits. Even with the scare, they had laughed heartily.

"There you are, Helga."

"AH!" Helga quickly shut her locket and put it away, looking to see Arnie peering over the trash cans at her. "Will you just go away?!"

He snorted. "I wanted to talk to you."

She groaned, and stood up, glaring at Arnie with her fists clenched at her sides. "Listen here, pal," She pointed a finger in his face. "I don't like you, you don't like me," She pointed her thumb to herself. "and none of this ever happened." She put her hands back on her hips, and continued her iron stare at the shorter boy. "Is that clear?"

He blinked one eye at a time, his eyes utterly lifeless. "Yeah."

She humphed, and stalked off to find Phoebe. She spotted the small girl not too far off, sitting on a bench, and reading. Helga stalked up to her, and hocked a loogy onto the ground. "Hey Pheebs, you up for climbing on the jungle gym?"

Phoebe looked up from her book, and blinked, seemingly looking past Helga. "Oh, will Arnie be joining us too?"

"Huh?!" Helga's head snapped behind her to see Arnie standing there, looking at her blankly.

"Hey," He greeted with a snort.

Helga growled, turning full around to yell at him, "Criminy! I thought we had an agreement!"

He simply blinked, left, right, and stared at her.

She groaned, but then regained her usual commanding appearance, pointing far off. "Leave..." She growled lowly.

Arnold sat perched up on the jungle gym, watching as Helga repeatedly yelled for Arnie to go, though he didn't go of course. Although it was extremely annoying that he kept forcing himself on Helga, the girl HE liked, it was a bit comforting how she seemingly wasn't going to have any of it. It put his mind at ease somewhat, though the display that Arnie was putting on was making him want to pick him up and throw him in a garbage can himself. Arnold sighed, feeling tired of it all. He jumped down, and sauntered over to the couple.

He tapped Arnie on the shoulder, and the slightly shorter male turned to look at him dully. "Uh, hey Arnie." Arnold greeted wearily, as Arnie simply blinked at him. Left. Right. Arnold smiled best he could, which wasn't exactly the best of smiles. "What are you doing?"

He snorted. "I've been trying to tell Helga that I like her dress." He explained tonelessly.

"Oh, well once you've told her, will you leave her alone?"

"No."

"Well, why not?" Arnold asked a bit irritated now, with his hands on his hips.

"Because I want to spend time with her." He snorted.

Helga grunted, and slapped a hand to her forhead, attracting attention from the other three. "Look, Taco Head, I don't love you. I don't like you. I-" She stopped, her entire demeanor changing to amazement and shock. For a second there, she actually thought she could see a flicker of emotion in his eyes. That had never happened before. And the emotion she saw... heart-break. This idiot actually did have feelings didn't he...? She gave him a weary look, shifting her eyes away. He actually FELT things?!

Arnie snorted, though it was a more quiet, conserved snort. "Oh..." He blinked... both eyes, and began walking away. "Okay."

She watched him walk off, looking even more dead than usual. Arnold watched too, wondering what exactly was going on.

Helga gulped, feeling a tinge of actual guilt. She loved Arnold, but Arnold... that she wasn't so sure of. This was about the same situation, in a way. Arnie loved her, but she didn't love him. Unrequited love. Oh boy, did she know what that felt like. It was a horrible feeling. It made her cringe a little, when he ran right into a pole, and fell down. Oh, how was she supposed to expect ARNOLD to give her a chance, if she couldn't give Arnie one. The thought made her want to vomit, but still. The guy looked so pathetic as he laid on the cement, not even bothering to get up. She knew how that felt too. To just want to give up completely. Arnold was what got her up everyday... but Arnie. She sighed heavily, and rubbed her eyes. "Please tell me I'm not gonna do this." She muttered to herself miserably, before letting her hands drop from her eyes and walking over towards Arnie.

Arnold blinked at this, following her with his eyes. "Helga, what are you doing?"

She didn't answer, just continued walking.

Arnold watched as she helped Arnie up, and awkwardly talked to him about something, rubbing the back of her neck in a cute manner. His eyes widened when Arnie actually hugged her. Helga seemed utterly repulsed by this, but she didn't push him away. That made Arnold scowl a little. She ALWAYS pushed him away! He hardly ever got to hug her for more than five seconds! And there Arnie was, hugging her up. Arnold growled a little, watching as Helga pulled away from him awkwardly, and they both walked off together. Arnold felt his insides become jumbled. Was she... giving Arnie a chance?!

Arnold stiffened at the mere idea of it. "No, no, no." He turned to Phoebe, who was simply watching the two from her seat with a bewildered look. "Phoebe, what's happening?" He had to make sure.

Phoebe looked at him, then to the couple, then to him. "It appears that Helga has had a change of heart."

"Change...of heart?" He repeated, his tone dropping.

She nodded. "It appears so."

"Hey Pheebs, you want to go on the swings with-WHOA!" Gerald exclaimed as he came up to them. "What is Helga G. Pataki doin' with Arnie?!"

"I believe she has had a change of heart and is willing to give him a chance." Phoebe told him.

Gerald's eyes widened, he looked at Phoebe, over at Arnie and Helga, who were sitting on a bench together now, with Helga looking incredibly bored, and Arnie, equally listless, but was talking about something neither of them could hear. He then looked at Arnold, who was watching the couple with a horror-stricken and incredibly sad look on his face. His best friend then walked off, and sat down on another bench on the other side of the playground, staring sadly a the ground in a manner he usually did whenever his parents were brought up.

A light frown crossed his face, but then turned to sympathetic as Gerald looked at his best friend, and then over at Phoebe.

"Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm. Man, he's more jealous than I thought." He said.

Phoebe gave a soft sigh. "I have to concur with you, Gerald."

Gerald looked from the "happy" couple to Arnold a few times and gave a sigh, then took Phoebe's hand, leading her to the swings. "Man I wish I could say somethin' to help him out..."

"Perhaps you should just leave him alone for a bit." Phoebe suggested. "He needs time to think about this on his own."

"Mmm, you're right, Pheebs." Gerald agreed. He got onto a swing, and she got onto the other one. "This must really be hard. I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but man, he really loves her. Trust me, I can tell. The Master knows it all."

Phoebe couldn't help but giggle at that, and then grew serious as she nodded. "You're right, Gerald. Though I can understand why he was hesitant to express his feelings."

"Mmm mmm mmm, no kiddin'. It's Helga we're talkin' about. A little too scared of being rejected."

"Oh, I think she would have given him a chance."

Gerald looked at her. "You think so?"

She nodded. "She did give him a chance the first time, didn't she?"

"True..."

Gerald thought about that for a moment.

* * *

Over where Arnold sat, he felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Almost on the same level as how he would feel when the day October 5th came around. Of course, that was a different story and situation altogether, a whole new kind of sadness, but it was still just as strong and hurtful.

It wasn't like when he was rejected or found he had no chance with all the other girls he'd liked. Sure, he would always be disappointed and pretty bummed, but he would get over it and move on within a day.

Not this time. It hurt. Really hurt.

Reaching into his pocket, he took out a strip of photobooth photos, and his own copy of the photo he and Helga had taken with the Python that was drapped over their shoulders like a big thick patterned scarf. He couldn't help but give a small smile as he looked at it, the way Helga looked ecstatically happy with laughter and how he looked to be enjoying himself too.

The strip of photobooth photos were both hilarious and cute. The first photo had Helga stretching her lips with her index fingers, exposing her teeth and her eyes wide with him laughing in the background. The second one had Helga pulling down her lower eyelids and sticking her tongue out, and he was joining in, doing the same thing she was doing. The third one had Helga pressing her cheeks in, making her lips pucker like a fish, and he had his hands to his cheeks with his mouth wide open and his eyes all wide and scared, imitating _The Scream _painting. The fourth one had them looking normally, and were giving bunny ears to each other. The fifth one had them leaning their heads against each other, looking toward each other shyly. The last one and Helga wrapping her arms around his head and shoulders, hugging him tightly with her eyes squeezed shut and a big smile on her face, while he was blushing and smiling shakily in a lovesick manner.

Arnold sighed sadly and tucked them away. Fantastic. He worked to try to win Helga's heart, and then Arnie shows up and within a few days, she gives him a chance. He couldn't believe it. Now Helga would fall in love with Arnie!

This was the worst day ever.

"Arnold?"

Snapping out of his reverie, he came to see Lila standing near him. "Oh, hey, Lila."

"Whatever seems to be the matter, Arnold? You look upset."

Arnold sighed, looking back toward Arnie and Helga. "It's nothing, Lila."

Lila followed his gaze, coming to see what he was looking at. Her eyes widened, and she looked from him to the couple, realizing what was going on.

"Arnold...are you jealous of Arnie and Helga?"

"No! ...I mean..." Arnold said, and sighed again. "...Yes, I am."

"Oh... I'm ever so sorry." Lila sat down next to him. "I know how you feel, Arnold."

"Yeah, you like Arnie, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yes...I'm ever so in love with him. He's that oh too special someone I've been looking for..."

Even though Arnold didn't understand it, he decided not to question it.

"But gosh Arnold...you really do like Helga, don't you? I mean...if it's a secret or something, I won't tell anyone."

He gave her a sad smile and nodded. "Yeah, I do like her like her, a lot. In fact, I think I love-"

The bell rang loudly, cutting him off.

"Oh, well I understand, Arnold." Lila said, getting up. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks, Lila. Well, I'll see you in class I guess." He gave a weak wave and went off across the playground to get inside.

The rest of the day had been a nightmare.

For starters, Helga threw no spitballs, nor did she trip him on his way to his seat, in fact, she pretty much ignored him.

She'd sat next to Arnie at the back of the glass, and he sat up front with Gerald. Every now and then he would glance back to see Arnie holding her hand. Jealousy would rise within him and he felt ready to punch his lights out, but he dared not. For one, they'd been in class, and two, no matter how jealous and heartbroken he was, he could never interfere with her happiness. If she was happy with Arnie-she was doing a great job at hiding it-, then there was nothing he could do.

Now he was walking home, with Arnie, who was going on and on about Helga and their date tonight. Arnold tried to tune him out like he usually did, but it wasn't working. He just walked with a blank stare, trying to keep his jealousy and resentment in check.

The more he listened to Arnie rattle on, sounding very bored, about Helga, his face took on a scowl, something that didn't happen very often. While he agreed with Arnie's listings of Helga, hearing them from another person's mouth, especially his, was NOT sitting well with him.

"So we'll go to the movies. And then get gum. Plain-flavoured gum. I even called her dad and asked if she would be busy on the long weekend, so I'll ask her to come visit me. I can show her my lint ball collection. And my lucky pile of dirt."

That did it. He'd just about had enough. First practically making sure she was available to take her out tonight, and now arranging for her to VISIT him?!

"Arnie...shut up." He snarled.

"Okay." Arnie said listlessly, and gave a snort.

* * *

It was dinner time now, and everyone was staring at Arnie as he ate. It was a very disturbing sight. He ate loudly, smacking his lips, and eating quickly, food getting smothered all over his mouth and face.

They all stared at him, as Arnold simply ate, attempting his best to forget all about Arnie even existing.

Suzie cleared her throat, and gave the strange boy a patient smile. "So Arnie... how was your day?"

"Good." He answered listlessly with a snort, continuing to eat his food.

Arnold held back a growl at that, digging his fork into his meat loaf, and silently pretending it was Arnie's face.

Suzie blinked, but continued her smile. "How's that sweet little girl you've been hanging out with been? The one with the braids?"

"I broke up with her." He snorted, finally meeting her eyes dully.

Ernie groaned at that. "Ah, why'd ya do that? You're never gonna get another girl now."

Arnold snorted at that, and everyone turned to look at him. He didn't look up from his plate though, just continued to dig his fork into his meat loaf with an edge.

Arnie blinked, one eye at a time. "No, I broke up with her for someone else."

They all gawked at him, and Ernie asked, "Who?"

"Helga."

Everyone turned to look at Arnold, who had answered for him with dark eyes.

Ernie scrunched his eyebrow down. "Who's Helga?"

Arnie answered this time. "Blonde hair, pigtails, blue eyes, pink dress, and she's really feisty." He snorted. "I love her."

Everyone's eyes widened at that, and Arnold stood up from his seat, eerily calm. "I'm done." He announced, walking into the kitchen. After a moment of silence, a loud, angry yell was heard from the kitchen.

Arnie stood up right after, completely uneffected from the yell. "I'm going out." He walked out of the room then, and everyone blinked.

"What the heck was all that about?" Oskar asked, annoyed that Arnie had eaten all his food and left none for him.

Arnold sat at the table in the kitchen, his head buried in his hands. This was all so infuriating. How could Arnie fall in love with HELGA?! Ugh, he couldn't blame him, but he definitely wanted to. But of all people, why her? HER! The exact girl HE liked... possibly loved. Why couldn't he have stayed with Lila? She wasn't so bad. She had nice hair, and she was sweet. Arnie was lucky to have gotten her. But no, he couldn't just settle for Lila. He had to go for the gold. Helga.

Arnold growled again, before deciding that getting all worked up over it wasn't going to do anything. He sighed, standing up from his chair and walking back into the dining room, where the chatter had finally picked up since Arnie was gone. Arnie was gone?!

"Hey, where'd Arnie go?" He asked, standing in the doorway.

"Oh, he said he was going out. He didn't say where though." Suzie explained.

"Yeah, what a weirdo!" Ernie hollered, and everyone broke out into a chatter in agreement.

"He is very... CREEPY!" Mr. Hyun said to no one in particular.

Arnold groaned a little, and walked up to his room, hoping to get some peace and quiet. He knew where Arnie was. He was going out to the movies... with Helga. The thought made his stomach churn, and his heart ache. This was awful. How many official dates had Arnie and Lila gone on before she decided she loved him? Arnold could remember that one evening he'd gone out to the movies, and saw them cuddling. Arnold was a bit surprised to see Lila there. He thought she didn't seem like the type to like scary movies, and by the sounds of her horrified screams during the movie, he could tell that she obviously didn't. But if she didn't like horror films, then why did she go? It was Arnie, wasn't it? She went there because Arnie was there. He remembered hearing her say something about love to Arnie, as he had spotted Helga, and they'd watched together a row or two in front of them. Wait a minute... so Lila had loved Arnie from the first date?!

Wow.

He still didn't understand what a girl like Lila saw in a boy like Arnie, but if he made her happy, why not? Sure, Arnie was weird and creepy, but above all, pretty harmless.

Sighing heavily, he lay on his bed, looking up at his skylight with disdain. This was the worst. His own COUSIN was putting the moves on his girl. Okay, maybe she wasn't his girl, but he still liked her!

_'How could Arnie like her...until today, they barely exchanged even two words.' _Arnold thought. _'He doesn't know Helga like I do! There's no way he could possibly love her. It's just a crush. It has to be. _

Another groan escaped him, and he sat up, taking a photo album that was sitting on his shelf. He took the photos from his pocket and placed them back inside. He'd always carried them around, but what was the point now? If she gave Arnie a chance, when before she was utterly repulsed by him, then who's to say she wouldn't...fall in love with him?

Looking down at the photos in the album, he couldn't help but feel both more torn inside and yet softened up. The album wasn't full, but it had a few pictures, depicting that of good times they spent together in the past few weeks. He laughed a little at one of them, it was a photo of Helga sticking her head up the wide opened mouth of a life-like model of an Anaconda while they'd been at the reptile house that one Sunday.

Turning the page, he laughed at the photo of them wearing matching crocodile hats that they'd bought together at the gift shop. He looked up at a hook on his shelf, seeing the hat hanging there. Another photo this time showed him with half his body inside the mouth of a lifesized crocodile model, reaching out toward her and looking as if he were yelling "Help!"

Arnold sighed, closing the album and laying back on his bed, holding it to his chest as he stared outside at the descending twilight. He closed his eyes, feeling his thoughts drift...

* * *

_"Whoa! Did you see that?! It was coming RIGHT at us!" Helga cried, holding her stomach as she was panting heavily. "I thought for sure we were goners!"_

_They had just come from the crocodile and alligator pens, having run all the way to the lizard exhibits when the saltwater crocodile had accidentally escaped from its pen when the trainer was opening the door to go feed it. It had come out of its enclosure, and immediately noticed Arnold and Helga, letting out a growl and having gone for them. But they ran off as quick as their legs could carry them and the trainer managed to apprehend the crocodile before it could chase them further._

_"It's a good thing we ran when we did, and the trainers caught it in time." Arnold agreed, trying to catch his breath._

_"Y-Yeah...yeah! But MAN! Whoa! The way it just went all 'RARGH!' and came crawling after us!" Helga began to laugh. "It was like something out of those killer crocodile movies!"_

_"No kidding." Arnold began to laugh along with her. "Th-that was...crazy!"_

_"I know!" She laughed, leaning against the wall and holding her stomach. "Why the heck are we laughing?! We almost became the croc's next meal!"_

_"I don't know..." He uttered, still laughing as he leaned his hand against the glass of a look-in lizard pen. "At least we're okay."_

_"Yeah...you're right, you're right." Helga wiped the mirthful tears from her eyes. "Come on Arnold, let's go look at the lizards!"_

_Regaining himself, Arnold nodded and smiled at her adoringly. "Sure, Helga."_

_

* * *

__"So football head, what movie do you want to see?" Helga questioned, her eyes browsing the posters_

_Arnold browsed them too, scratching his head thoughtfully. They'd already seen the Evil Twin movie that was playing, there was an action movie, two romantic comedies, and...one caught his eye._

_"How about that one? 'Tales of Ninjas', I heard about it, it's about two kids who find a strange jewel that brings them to an alternative universe that's a world of ninjas. And that there's this strange lizard-like woman who wants to kill them." Arnold suggested._

_"Huh, a fantasy adventure...interesting. Hey, why not? Sounds like a plan. Let's go._

_

* * *

_Placing his photo album back on the shelf, Arnold sighed again as he once more couldn't stop thinking about all their little "dates" together. This was torture. He'd never felt so strongly about a girl before, so to make matters worse, she didn't like him back AND was giving his COUSIN a chance.

Sighing sadly, he lay on his bed again, feeling ready to...cry.

"Knock knock, short man!" Came Phil's voice as he opened the door and came into the room. "What's with you tonight, Arnold? You've been acting all weird."

"Grandpa, I..." Arnold sat up and heaved a sigh. "It's nothing."

"Oh come on now, you can tell your ol' Grandpa what's wrong!" Phil said, and sat beside him on his bed. "So what's wrong? Is it about Arnie and his date with your little friend Helga?"

He nodded miserably.

"Ah, that's what I figured! A little case of feeling jealous!"

"Grandpa..." Arnold groaned. "Not now."

"Okay, okay, I gotcha, short man. So I guess you feel pretty upset, since you like her so much, eh?"

Arnold nodded again. "I think I love her, Grandpa."

"Ho ho! Love, huh? Well Arnold, aren't you in for a world of angels and music and-"

"Grandpa!"

Phil chuckled spiritedly, as Arnold simply sat there, blushing darkly. "Oh, Arnold." Phil grinnned at him, but then noticed his obvious misery. "Oh, Arnold, you can't possibly be jealous of Arnie, for lands sakes."

"But Grandpa, he's going out on a date with Helga. She's giving him a chance! They hold hands and everything, and Arnie is practically planning their wedding!"

Phil quirked his mouth to one side, giving Arnold knowing eyes. "Arnold, it's Arnie. The little freak has a lint ball collection. You really think Helga is going to go for that?"

"Well... Lila fell for him after only one date. Lila's a smart girl."

"Yeah, but Helga's smarter, ya gotta admit." Phil countered, "Well, I can't really say that. I've never met this Lila girl, but Helga seems pretty sharp. Very demanding. I don't think she'd go settling for second best." He smiled.

Arnold groaned a little, then sighed. "I know, but... but... I don't know. Arnie is always getting girls. Don't you remember that one time we went to visit him, and he had that one girlfriend. I guess they broke up, but still."

"Oh, yeah..." Phil looked off, rubbing his chin thoughtfully at the memory. "She was pretty."

Arnold buried his head into his pillow, muttering into it, "You're not helping, Grandpa."

Phil frowned. "Come on, Arnold. I told ya before. That girl likes ya. It's obvious. And you're much more interesting than Arnie. Also better looking. You don't have anything to worry about." He patted him on the back, as Arnold lifted his head from his pillow to look at him.

"But, Grandpa. If Arnie could get all those girls before... then who's to say that he won't get Helga too."

Phil blew some air out from his mouth, feeling that he was at a loss. "Fine, Arnold, if you're so worried, then why don't you just follow them on their date and ruin everything. That way Helga will lose interest, and she'll be jumping back into your arms!"

"Grandpa... I can't do that. If Arnie is what makes Helga happy, then I should just... let it go." He rubbed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears.

Phil frowned. "Arnold, you're too good for your own good." He stood up. "But now you're going to be all sad and mopey."

Arnold gave him a blank look. "As long as she's happy."

Phil sighed, but gave him a smile and patted him on the back. "Good luck, Shortman. I'm sure everything will be just fine. Helga likes ya. I know it, and you should too." He smiled, and walked towards the door. Before he walked out though, he hesitated, looking back at Arnold. "Ya gonna be alright?"

Arnold smiled at him a little. "Yeah." He lied.

"All right then Arnold, we'll be downstairs if you need anything. And remember, never eat raspberries!" He winked at him and then left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Arnold slumped back into his misery. What else could he do? He just had to accept the fact that Arnie was winning the girl HE liked too, and that Helga wanted to give him a chance.

At least they could still be friends, right?

Wait.

She had ignored him all day since she had given Arnie a chance. Even when he said goodbye to her after school when he passed her locker, she didn't even look his way.

The phone rang then, snapping him out of his reverie. Helga? Could it have been her? Changing her mind about Arnie?

Motivated by the possibility, Arnold ran to the phone next to his couch and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey Arnold, it's Gerald. You all right, man?"

"Oh, hey Gerald." Arnold immediately deflated like a balloon, falling onto his couch. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't sound so good, man. You still upset about today?"

He sighed heavily. "Yeah. I am. Arnie left some time ago to go out to the movies with Helga."

"Ouch, man. Who knew she'd actually give him a chance?"

"I know." Arnold sighed. "Then again, Lila is a smart girl and she fell for him after their first date. Who's to say Helga won't..." His voice trailed off.

"I don't know...Helga's pretty demanding, and considerin' your cousin there... come on, he can't even rate second best! Don't you think she'd have better standards than that?"

"Then why is she giving him a chance?! If Arnie is so much of a downput, then WHY would Helga of all people, who definitely would be more demanding in guy standards, give HIM a chance?! Why?!" He shouted angrily. "...I'm sorry, Gerald. I didn't mean to yell like that. This whole thing is just getting to me."

"Hey, I understand, man. And to answer your question, lemme give you a fact. It's because HE likes her."

"What do you mean?"

"Arnold, when a guy likes a girl, and the girl knows it, she will latch onto that. Especially when they got nothing goin' for them in the guy department! Think about it, man. Why else would Helga even think to give him a chance? She's latchin' on to the fact that he likes her, and wants to be in the presence of someone who actually likes her!"

"Isn't that...kind of mean? That'd be kind of leading him on. I know it's Arnie and all, but still." Arnold hesitated.

"She ain't doin' it to be mean, she just wants to be with a guy who likes her...and maybe try to fall for him too and give him a chance, to see how she likes him."

Arnold's heart sank again.

"But hey man, Arnie's goin' home on Sunday, right? It ain't like he's gonna be here forever! After he's gone, Helga will be all yours again!"

"But what if she likes him by then? She'll want to stay in touch and even go visit. Gerald, she ignored me today. I know we kind of have a 'hush hush' basis at school, but she didn't even throw spitballs at me."

"Mmmm mmmm mmmm. This is more serious than I thought. I think you might be in serious trouble, man."

He fell silent.

"Arnold?"

A tear ran down his cheek.

"What was I thinking..."

* * *

_What was I thinking?!_ Helga thought.

She was at the movie theatre, watching a horror movie that was playing. With Arnie.

And she was not having fun.

In fact, she was regretting ever giving him a chance. He may have been in love with her, sure, but he was as interesting as watching paint dry! She couldn't even hold a good conversation with him. Anytime she tried, it was always nonchalant, listless responses that sometimes were only one sentence.

Arnie was chewing plain-flavoured gum, occasionally reaching up to spin the propeller of his beanie copter. But other than that, he just sat there, staring boredly at the screen, blinking left and right, and snorting.

'_Criminy, this is BORING! I know Arnold can sometimes be quiet, and maybe he doesn't love me, but at least he's fun to be around and has a good time with me..._'

Arnold...

Who had she been kidding? Thinking that Arnie would be a good source in getting rid of her feeligns, but it only made her want Arnold even more. Just because Arnie liked her didn't mean she had to...

Having seen the heartbreak in his eyes when she turned him down, it made her realize that he knew how it felt to be in love with someone and they don't love you back. So she decided to be nice and give him a chance.

Wait.

Then that meant...

"I'm going to the bathroom." She said, getting up from her chair.

"Yeah, okay." Arnie responded.

"I'll...be back...and stuff."

"Yeah, okay."

"Want me to get more popcorn?"

"Yeah, okay."

Helga uttered a growl under her breath as she made her way out of the row of seats and into the aisle. She left the theatre and headed to the Girl's bathroom. Thankfully, no one was in there. She released a breath and leaned over the sink, looking at herself in the mirror.

"What was I thinking?! This whole thing was stupid! I'm practically on a pity date with Arnold's creepy stupid cousin! What the heck am I doing!?"

She pounded her fists against the counter, growling angrily, and then panted, gripping the counter.

Once she regained herself, she took her locket out of her dress and leaned against the nearest stall.

"Oh Arnold my love, what was I thinking, even CONSIDERING that I could love Arnie, when he is nothing compared to you! You with your kindness, your sweet emerald pools for eyes, the way you smile... Oh my darling, how could I have been so stupid? Why did I have to witness you giving me the saddest of eyes today? Why did I have to ignore you?"

Tears ran down her cheeks as Helga clutched her locket to her chest, her shoulders shaking.

"Arnold...I know you don't love me, but at least we have fun together, right...?"

She closed her eyes, sighing in pure bliss as she recalled their past date, their time at the Cheese festival, the reptile house, the movies, and all the past times they'd just simply exchanged greetings in the halls when no one was looking.

She frowned, thinking of her time with Arnie now, and sighing to herself. "I've got to do something." She proclaimed dramatically, walking out from the bathroom with her head held high. On her way back to the theater room that their movie was playing, she grabbed up a half-full tub of popcorn that was sitting atop all the trash in the trash bin. She walked back into the theater, and sat down in her seat beside Arnie, handing him the popcorn.

"Thanks." He said dully, already beginning to eat.

Helga turned to him with a serious expression, and whispered, "We need to talk."

Outside of the theater, Helga and Arnie stood, Helga still giving him a stern expression. "Arnie," She addressed seriously.

He snorted, looking at her.

She sighed. "Look Arnie, I don't think this is working out."

He blinked, focusing his gaze on her. "What?"

"I said, that I don't think this is going to work out. I mean, you hardly talk, and..." She sighed. "Look, you're an okay guy, I guess, but..." She stopped there, looking away awkwardly with her hands entwined together.

It was silent, and she finally looked over at him to see what he was doing. He was standing there, actually looking... sad. "Oh,"

She blinked, feeling bad once again. "Look, Arnie, it's just-"

"No, Helga, it's alright." He looked down.

She frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Oh come on, don't look so sad. I'm not that great, and you've still got Lila."

He slumped (more than usual), and nodded, beginning to walk away. She could practically hear the sad violin music playing in the backround. Her eye twitched.

* * *

"Thanks for giving me a second chance, Helga." Arnie snorted, as they were walking back to the boarding house.

She sighed, but attempted a fake smile at him. "Yeah, whatever, Arnie." She looked away.

They walked the rest of the way in contended silence... well, one sided contended silence. Helga just felt bored, but she didn't say anything.

_'Yeesh, I can't believe I let myself fall victim to his heart break! Even I wouldn't stoop that low to make Arnold give me a chance...Helga G. Pataki doesn't do pity dates! ...That's what this all is, isn't it. A pity date. Some guy loves me "oh so" much and I feel bad for him because I know how it feels...and so I give him a chance because I feel sorry for him. What was I thinking?! Criminy, I'm a stupid idiot.' _She thought.

She let out a deep breath.

_'At least it's only for a few more days. He'll be gone home and then I'll be home free! Then Arnold will be all mine again.'_

"You can come visit sometime." Arnie then said, interrupting her thoughts.

Helga stared at him incredulously. "What?!"

"You have a long weekend coming up next week. I asked your Principal about it." Arnie let out a snort. "Your dad said you weren't doing anything. You can come visit. I'll show you my lucky pile of dirt. And my lint ball collection. And we can have gum. Then we can count things."

She was too stunned to answer. Just what was he thinking?! This wasn't sitting well at all. It made her want to barf up her dinner and popcorn. She held back from gagging, and then looked up to see the boarding house come into view. Much to her relief.

_I can't believe he asked me that! And even went to make sure I wasn't doing anything! Darn it, and I wanted to ask Arnold if he wanted to go see Wrestlemania with me that weekend!_

Sighing heavily, she was about to give an ambiguous answer, but then stopped short as they approached the boarding house. Much to her surprise, Arnold was sitting on the front stoop, playing with a ball of clay. Very roughly. Like he was mad at it. She cracked a smile. It was pretty amusing to watch him do that.

"We're here." Arnie said, as if she needed to know.

"Yes, I know." Helga muttered, her mood instantly dropping again.

Arnold looked up as they approached, his gaze becoming blank and neutral as he saw his cousin. A flash of jealousy came to his eyes, but it was gone as quick as it came.

"You made it back in time, Arnie." He said, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Yeah. By 24 minutes and 12 seconds. I counted." Arnie said listlessly.

"Good to know." Arnold then looked at Helga, and visibly lit up. "Hey, Helga."

She blushed a bit, and offered a smile. "Hey, football head. What'cha doing out here?"

"Grandpa wanted me to keep an eye out for Arnie when he came back." Arnold said with a shrug.

"Oh. What's with the clay?"

"Nothing really, I wanted something to amuse myself while I-"

"Arnold, can I talk to Helga for a minute." Arnie interrupted.

"...Yeah, sure." A flash of anger came to his eyes, but it also soon faded away. "I'll let Grandma and Grandpa know you're here." He stood up, went inside and shut the door.

Arnie snorted and turned back to Helga. "I have a question."

Helga gave a sigh. "What is it?"

"Are you in love with Arnold?" Snort.

Her eyes widened at his question, paling visibly. "W-What?! Wait...that's crazy! What the heck gave you that crazy idea?!"

"You stare at him in class when he's not looking. You keep photos of him on hand. You light up when his name is mentioned. Today in class you wrote his name 54 times in your notebook, I counted." Arnie listed, snorting again.

Helga was shocked at this. Was her love for Arnold THAT obvious? How could he have known?! Yes, it was obvious she didn't return his ador, but how could he have figured out the true reason behind it? Then again, how many times did people look her way when she was sure no one was looking?

She couldn't give in, not here, not now. Not to him.

"Well you're full of-!" Helga scowled. "I couldn't care less about that football-headed geek! No, I don't love him! He's...he's just a friend, okay?! I don't have to stand here and listen to this! I'm out of here!"

Arnie watched her listlessly as she stormed off down the street.

Then he went inside the boarding house, and upstairs to Arnold's room. Arnold was already in there, getting into his pajamas.

"Arnold, I have to ask you something."

"What?" Arnold pulled his PJ top down over his head.

"Are you in love with Helga?"

Arnold's eyes bulged, and he jolted around in a flash to look at Arnie in shock.

Arnie didn't even flinch. Simply blinked, one eye at a time.

Arnold gawked at him. "Why w-would you think something like that?!"

Arnie snorted. "You light up when she's around, you have a photo album full of exactly 23 pictures of you and her together... I counted, you're jealous, and her name is written exactly thirty-seven times in your notebook with little hearts." He blinked one eye at a time.

Arnold's snapped his mouth shut, and twiddled his thumbs together. "Oh, well, um..." He paused then, his eyes widening. He put his hands on his hips, and gave Arnie an annoyed look. "Wait a minute, you went through my stuff?!"

"I was looking for a blank piece of paper." He snorted.

"For what?!"

"It was so I could write down Helga's phone number."

Arnold's eyes darkened at that, and a scowl was starting to show on his face.

"You're jealous." Arnie observed.

Arnold's face dropped at that, and he just gave him a blank look. "Look, whether I like Helga or not, is none of your concern."

"Okay." Arnie snorted, and walked out of the room, in search of a bathroom.

Arnold sighed, putting a hand to his forehead in exhasperation. This was too awful. Not only was Arnie visiting AND dating Helga, but he was also looking through his personal belongings... so he could write down Helga's phone number, so they could chat for hours on the phone about how much they liked eachother!

Arnold felt his heart sink, and his anger rising at the same time. He clenched his fists, and growled to no one but the room. He threw himself onto his bed, and threw the covers over him, wallowing in his misery.

He'd never really hated a family member before. But as Helga would always say...

There's a first time for everything.

* * *

The next day, Arnold walked to the school with Gerald, all the while trying NOT to rant and rave about Arnie, who had left early to walk with Helga to school. So Gerald tried to keep the subject on something neutral, like baseball. Something that would get his mind off of things.

"So man, you thinking of going to the game this weekend? I heard it's gonna be radical!" Gerald exclaimed. There was a baseball game at the stadium going on that weekend.

"Yeah, I definitely want to see the game." Arnold said with a nod. "I wanted to ask-...." His voice trailed off and he sighed.

"You-know-who?" Gerald looked at him.

"Yeah. But she'll want to go with Arnie."

Gerald gave him a sympathetic gaze and patted his shoulder. "Aww, sorry man. Okay, bad subject. Let's see.... Oh! Sid, Stinky and Eugene wanted to know if we wanted to join them at the Arcade after school today. You want to go?"

Arnold thought about that. Maybe he needed time to escape, time to have fun and try not to think about this whole predicament. Having fun at the arcade with "the guys" sounded like a plan. "Sure, Gerald. I think that'll be a good way to get my mind off all this."

"There we go! Now that's my man." Gerald slapped his back. "So I hope you don't mind if I invite Phoebe. Ya know, to show off my moves."

Snickering, Arnold shook his head. "I don't mind. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a little date with friends."

"Oh yeah, she's pretty cool like that and has fun even when we hang out with-wait, what?! Arnold, it's not a date! We're just two buddies!"

Arnold smiled deviously, laughing a little. "Come on Gerald, anyone who looks at you two automatically think you're a couple. You guys hold hands, you flirt, you give her this look, you spend a lot of time together, and you're really comfortable with each other."

"A-Arnold! I told you, we're buddies!" Gerald blushed as red as his usual 33 sweater. "Sure, Phoebe's great and all and I sure do like bein' with her, but we're not dating!"

"Come on Gerald, the cat's out of the bag. Why are you so embarrassed to admit that you have a crush on Phoebe?"

Gerald gave a sigh. "I don't know, man. I guess I'm kinda scared she won't like me back. I know I flirt a lot with the ladies, but Phoebe, well, she ain't like the other girls. She's real special and I like her a lot! If she didn't like me, man, I'd no longer feel like the Master of wooing a lady."

"Don't say that, Gerald. I have a pretty good feeling that Phoebe likes you back. Besides, you guys have had a lot of changes to spend more time together since Helga and I...." His voice trailed off again and he looked at the ground miserably.

"Aw man, it's like everything we say reverts back to your girl. I'm sorry man, I didn't-"

"It's okay, Gerald. I just have to learn to accept the fact that she's with Arnie now. It'll just take time."

"That's right man, and hey, like I said, he'll be gone soon! Besides, not like they're getting married or nothin'. So don't worry."

Arnold took a deep breath. "Maybe you're right, Gerald. Maybe I'm just overreacting a little."

"Nah, you're just in love with her. And I mean big time love. All those other girls turned you into a lovesick moron, but man, Helga...she's done a real number on you! It's no wonder you're ten times more jealous and ten times more intensely crushin' in on her."

The slightly shorter boy's green eyes widened at this.

They then came to P.S. 118, with the students all going inside or sitting around on the front steps of the school. Just as Arnold and Gerald were heading inside, that was when the horror struck.

Arnie was walking hand-in-hand with a very bored-looking Helga. But that wasn't exactly the horrifying part.

She was _wearing her hair down_.

This made Arnold stop in his tracks, his gaze stricken with horror. Not because she was wearing her hair down, no way. He liked it when she wore her hair down. She looked really nice. But the fact she was doing it special for Arnie, who no doubt found her more attractive for it, was what hurt him then.

Gerald noticed this, and came up to his best friend, a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"So sorry, man."

Arnold just sighed, picking up the books he hadn't realized he'd dropped and walked off to class early, with Gerald following closely behind him.

In class, Phoebe was already there, along with Curly sitting in the back, obviously scheming something, and Eugene was there too, humming happily to himself as he sat patiently in his chair. Gerald grinned and took the seat next to Phoebe.

"Hey, babe." He greeted.

She giggled and smiled, blushing a bit. "Hi, Gerald. How are you this morning?"

"Mmm mm, I'm fine and dandy, and I feel better now that I got my best girl buddy in my line of vision!"

The petite Asian girl giggled again, and despite everything, Arnold smiled warmly at the display and then went to sit a couple of rows back in order to give them some time to talk with each other. He sat down, laying his cheek against his hand, drumming his fingers against the surface of his desk.

Arnie was leaving on Sunday. And it was only Wednesday. This was going to be a very long week.

That was when the happy, or rather, one-sided happy, couple made their entrance. Arnold tried to avert his gaze so he wouldn't have to face it, but too late, he couldn't. They walked by his desk, and much to his surprise, Helga actually looked down at him and gave him a smile. His heart leaped and his gaze turned lovesick, staring straight ahead with his head in his hands.

Okay, maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

Arnold shook his head, and looked over at Gerald, who was currently crafting a paper football carefully.

"Hey, Gerald."

"Yeah, man?" He asked, not looking up from his very concentrated work.

"I've got to know. All that stuff you told me last night. Where did you get that knowledge?"

Gerald stopped in his construction, and looked over at Arnold with a smirk. "Because I'm the master on ladies, man."

All the girls were heard laughing insanely in the back all of a sudden, the words 'Gerald', 'ladies man', and 'oh, please' among them.

Gerald groaned a little, and turned in his seat to shoot a pistol at Phoebe smoothly, who blushed and giggled in return. He turned back around then, a contended look on his face. "See, man?"

Arnold rolled his eyes, and Gerald sighed. "Fine. I told Jamie-O something like that for a girl situation he had, but he told me it was the dumbest, most idiotic thing he'd ever heard. So I just told you the exact opposite of what I told him."

Arnold blinked, becoming a bit concerned. "Is that very accurate?"

"Well, I don't see why not. It makes sense doesn't it?"

Arnold blinked, thinking on that for a moment, before smiling and shrugging in his direction. "I guess it does..." His gaze became down-cast.

Gerald blinked at this display, and patted him on the back. "It's okay, Arnold. I'm sure today won't be nearly as bad as you think it will be."

* * *

"You were right, Gerald. It's worse than I thought it would be."

It was lunch time now, and just across the cafeteria, were Helga and Arnie. But the fact that they were sitting together, was the least of his problems... they were... FEEDING eachother!

Arnold growled, the contents of his cheese sandwich squishing out the back of his sandwich at how hard he was gripping it.

Gerald looked at him in alarm. "Arnold, cool down. You killin' your sandwich!"

"Why don't I give ARNIE a sandwich then. A knuckle sandwich!" He stood from his chair, but Gerald quickly pulled him back down into it.

"Arnold, listen to yourself! You've gone mad! You need to calm down, and chill. It's not... that bad." He winced as he observed that Helga had started feeding Arnie grapes... though to the trained eye, her movements were almost mechanic, like she was doing it only because she had to. But of course the boys didn't catch it. Not even Arnold, as he was too blinded by jealousy.

Arnold listened to Gerald begrudgingly, and opted to simply glaring at Arnie in hatred.

Gerald shook his head. "Mmmm mmmm mmmm, man. This is getting outta hand. Maybe you should just tell Helga you like her. If she gave pity to Arnie, who's to say she won't for you. She likes you better anyway..." He saw out of the corner of his eye, that Helga was allowing Arnie to kiss her cheek. She didn't really seem to notice it though, she looked so bored. But nonetheless, Gerald winced at the display. "...I think. Phoebe even said that she'd give you a chance."

Arnold's heart lept, and for a moment, he forgot about killing Arnie. "She did? Helga likes me enough to give me a chance?"

"Hey, hey. Don't get excited yet, buddy. I'm just telling ya what Phoebe told me."

Arnold bit his lip. "I don't know... It sounds risky. And I'm not sure I could handle rejection from her. She'd probably laugh in my face, or yell at me for looking into our friendship too much. You've gotta admit, the thought of Helga actually liking me sounds really dumb." He said glumly, slumping a little.

"The thought of you actually liking Helga G. Pataki was dumb too. But here you are. Who knows? Maybe she's fallen for you too. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? She says no? That's weak. There are plenty of other fish in the sea."

"But I don't want any other fish." Arnold groaned, letting his head rest in his hand as his elbow was perched up on the table.

Gerald sighed. "Then I don't know. I still think you should tell her. If she's as nice as you say, then I'm sure she'll either be kissing you up, or letting you down gently." He patted him on the back, before standing up to throw out his food.

Arnold just blinked dully, his eyes half-lidded, before looking over to Helga, and gaining a dazed, lovesick expression. Arnie had gone off somewhere, so Helga was just chatting with Phoebe while she could. He smiled loopily, as he stared at her, completely forgetting about Arnie for that one fleeting moment... before Arnie did come back and planted a kiss on Helga's cheek again. Arnold snapped out of his dreamland, and scowled, feeling his insides burning with jealousy and hate.

* * *

The day had been progressing horribly. First Helga's hair down debut, then the lunch time catastrophe, then the fact that they'd been holding hands EVERY SECOND, and to top it all off... Helga looked just peachy with the whole thing! Of course at lunch, she'd seemed very bored and listless, but afterward... she'd looked fine, even almost... happy. Arnold just wanted to pound his head into some lockers. His worst nightmare was actually coming true!

Arnold hung his head sadly as he opened up his locker, and placed his books inside, before just leaning his head against the lockers. He sighed, feeling that his heart was just going to be completely torn to shreds by the end of the day. He just wanted to... he didn't know what he wanted to do. Maybe just fall off a cliff or something. It seemed much more appealing than watching Arnie and Helga being all wrapped up in eachother. He felt completely miserable... and in his miserable state, leaning against the lockers, he was only able to conclude one thing...

Love sucks.

He sighed heavily, before sucking it up, and concluding that crying over it wouldn't solve anything, especially in public. So he just began grabbing out the books he needed, thinking to himself, 'This is ridiculous. I need to do something before they DO end up getting married. And they'll want to come over and visit me too. And I can't handle seeing them kissing and all when I'm there, all loopy over Helga. I can't take it anymore!' He slammed his locker shut, and began walking up the hall, this time talking to himself, as there weren't many people around to hear him anyway. "Maybe I should just take Gerald's advice. She's so sweet (...Well, sometimes). I'm sure she'll give me a chance, or at least lighten up on the Arnie love around me. That's it. That's what I'm doing. I'll just march right on up to Helga, and tell her that I think I lo-OOF!"

He jettisoned backward, but then hearing a feminine groan, his eyes snapped up to see Helga rubbing her head. He brightened, and a warm feeling swept over him. "Helga! I'm sorry for crashing into you. I was actually just looking for you." Before he could stand though, he was suddenly grabbed by the upper arms and looked at through desperate, pleading sapphire eyes... really pretty ones too. He would have melted, if he wasn't so shocked.

"Arnold! This is no time for pleasantries! I'm so glad that I ran into you!" She checked their surroundings and after concluding that they were alone, she hugged him tightly.

His eyes widened, but he soon felt himself giving in and hugging her back, his heart pounding in both surprise and affection. "Calm down, Helga. What is it?" He asked softly, enjoying the feel of her against him.

She pulled back, once again with the desperate eyes, and still held him by the arms. "Arnold! Your cousin is driving me CRAZY! I can't take it anymore! I'm gonna get sent to the insane asylum if you don't help me get outta this!"

He gawked at her, his eyes extremely wide in incomprehension. "W-What?"

She shook him violently. "Don't ask me questions, Football Head! I need to know how to break up with the little freak without hurting his stupid feelings!" She stopped shaking him, and simply gave him pleading eyes.

Managing to finally comprehend what she was saying, he blinked his eyes and couldn't help but feel his heart leap with joy. So Helga didn't like Arnie after all! Maybe he had a chance after all? Whatever it was, he was just glad this wasn't the case. Admittedly deep down, he did feel a little bad for Arnie, since being rejected by someone you liked was never fun. Well, Arnie was a trouper...in a way, he'd be fine.

Keeping himself composed, Arnold placed his hands on her shoulders and thought for a moment about what to say. He could focus on his inner joy later, right now, someone needed help. And that someone was the girl he liked, which only added to it.

"Well Helga, have you tried talking to him?" He asked.

Helga sighed, nodding her head. "YES, I have. And every time I do, it's like he...I don't know! Finds some way to just rope me back in! I know it's stupid and just a pure pity thing, going way against what I stand for but...agh, darn it! I'm such an idiot for even doing that!"

"You're not an idiot." Arnold told her firmly but gently. "It's true that pity dates and pity love is definitely not the right thing to do, but I can understand why you did what you did."

"That I pretty much just went for him because he liked me?"

"I guess so. But the point is Helga, you were trying to give him a chance, to do the right thing and see what you were in for, to see if maybe you could possibly feel the same way. Maybe trying to be with someone because they like you isn't the best thing to do, but it least it helps you realize and think about it, right?"

"...Yeah, I think you're right." Helga sighed and looked away for a moment. "Maybe I was just doing that. Latching on to something good because I've never had it before."

Arnold nodded in understanding, and then brought his hand to her cheek, gently guiding her head to meet his gaze. He smiled sweetly, and couldn't help but think how cute she looked when she blushed. "I can understand that. Well Helga, if you want to do the right thing, you will have to hurt Arnie's feelings in all of this. You just have to tell him that you're sorry, but you don't feel the same way. Just be assertive and let him know how you really feel. Tell him you want to be honest with how you're feeling and don't want to lead him on or give him false hope. The truth hurts sometimes, but at least you'll be doing the right thing, and that's what really matters. And hey, you have a bit of a lucky break here considering he lives all the way in the country and only visits a couple of times a year. So you won't have to face him on a daily basis, just until Sunday. In the meantime, I'll help make sure he leaves you alone."

She blinked at him, her hands moving up to his shoulders. "Really...? You'll do that?"

"Of course, Helga. You're one of my best friends, and if Arnie being around you like that makes you uncomfortable, then I'll help you to keep him at a distance since you're clearly not interested. You know I'll do anything to help you when you need it." He lowered his hand to lightly brush through her hair for a moment and then lowered his hand down her arm, holding her hand in his and gazed up at her lovingly.

"Arnold...I...." Helga blushed more, unable to contain just how inwardly joyful she felt. Oh, the way he was looking at her right now! It made her want to jump and squeal for joy, not to mention how sweet and helpful he was being to her, something he never failed in doing. Now thanks to him, everything was going to be okay.

'_How could I have even thought to move on from such a wondrous, sweet boy? Maybe he doesn't love me, but at least we can still have fun together like a couple of buddies... If I can't be with him, at least I can be around him! Who knows, maybe he could fall for me over time... Oh Arnold my love, my Knight in Shining Armor! You're my savior once again! My darling, I will bestow upon you a well-deserved reward!'_ She thought. '_I have to do this or I'll explode!_'

"Who am I kidding, thanks so much!"

Before he could respond, Helga grabbed him to her, gently but with force, bringing her arms around his head and neck, kissing him fully on the lips. Arnold's eyes widened, his books falling to the floor as his entire body went limp and heated up. His eyes closed on their own accord and he melted into the kiss, bringing one hand to her shoulder for balance, and the other played with her soft hair as he kissed her back.

His reciprocation was not lost on her, because just as she was going to pull away, he had kissed her back. He was kissing her back! Helga couldn't help but prolong the kiss a little longer. After all, no one was around to see it, and he was kissing her back, so why not? The circumstances were perfect. Well, almost perfect. Their location wasn't exactly ideal, but hey, for the moment, beggers can't be choosers.

To her utmost surprise and delight, his tongue gently traced her lips, in a way that even his own tongue was asking for permission ever so nicely! Helga giggled and opened her mouth giddily to welcome his addicting taste and tongue, playfully wrestling hers with his.

He wasn't exactly sure why he'd done that, it was part of his instinct and curiosity, that maybe for a change he wanted to give it a try and initiate deepening the kiss a bit. Sure, French kissing was a little out of his league, but the couple of times they'd tried it, he couldn't help but...like it. Finding it a new way to express how much he liked a girl. In the past, it was unlikely, since the thought of even kissing a girl, let alone French kissing a girl was awkward. But now with her having been his first, not to mention experiencing it a couple of times, it wasn't so scary. It did still overwhelm his insides and senses, but he was growing to like it more and more.

It was the perfect end to a pretty lousy day, on both their parts.

The lack of oxygen was getting to them and they pulled away, their eyes hazed with pleasure and wonder. Unable to help herself, Helga lay her forehead against his, feeling her heart beating like a jackhammer as she felt herself loving him even more. If that was possible.

"Friends don't kiss, football head." She said affectionately.

Arnold chuckled a bit, playing with a strand of her hair absently. "I know they don't. Actually Helga, what I wanted to tell you before you found me first is that I l-"

Snort.

They both froze and paled.

"Come on Arnold, let's get home." Arnie said, now suddenly standing near them.

"Oh, uh, yeah, right." Arnold nodded. He picked up his books. "Um, I'll see you tomorrow, Helga."

"Yeah, tomorrow." Helga said nonchalantly.

The minute both cousins had left and gone outside, Helga looked around once more to make sure no one was around, and squealed happily with joy, taking out her locket and hugging it to her. She fell up against the row of lockers, and sank down to the floor with a lovesick grin on her face.

* * *

The same lovesick grin was present on Arnold's face, so much so that he barely even heard Arnie speaking to him.

"I saw you kissing Helga in the hallway." He said amiably.

Snapping out of his daze, Arnold blinked and looked at his cousin. "What? You saw us?!"

"Yeah. You kissed for one minute and twenty-two seconds, I counted."

His eyes widened. "You watched the whole time?! Arnie, that was-"

"You kissed my girl." Arnie said listlessly, blinking left and right.

Arnold frowned lightly. "I did not. She kissed me."

"You kissed her back."

"Well, okay, yeah, I did, but I-"

"I know you're jealous, and that you love her. But she's my girl."

He was about to tell Arnie then that Helga wasn't interested in him, but decided not to go there. That was for Helga to talk to him about.

For the rest of the walk, they were both silent, and Arnold couldn't help but find the quiet to be very tense. He wasn't sure how Arnie felt. He didn't really have any expression on his face... like always. But Arnold felt tense, and guilty... but also giddy. He got to kiss Helga! One part of him wanted to blow morals and call her up right then and ask her out... but the other half, his better half, was feeling very guilty.

And then there was a small part of him, wondering why Helga had kissed him in the first place. Of course, he could just list it off as "heat of the moment", but this time he wasn't so sure. He needed to ask, no matter how awkward that conversation might be... it could seriously end as the beginning to something he really, really wanted.

He felt bad, though, for the whole thing, and the fact that he didn't regret any of it, only made the guilt worse on him. He felt guilty for what he'd done, but he'd never take it back, and that made him feel like dirt. But he'd gotten to kiss his crush. Who would really want to ever take something so memorable like that back? Certainly not Arnold, but he still felt bad for it.

After a very quiet, awkward (And in the boarders case, horrific) dinner, Arnold was standing in his room at only about seven thirty, with Arnie still giving him the silent treatment. He was used to it though. Arnie rarely ever said anything unless provoked. So Arnold tried to ignore the guilt altogether, figuring it was pointless, and tried to think about anything else... anything.

Helga. Oh yeah, there was something. The very center of his guilt at the moment. Also the very object of his affections and desires, of course, which was why he would never even dream of taking back that precious one minute and twenty-two seconds of beautiful contact. It made him ache for more, which disturbed him a bit. He knew he liked her, but the whole kissing thing was a bit extreme... and he liked it too... a lot. He liked her a lot. It made him wonder... did he actually LOVE her? He had been going to tell her he thought he did, but what if he was wrong? And what was he thinking?! A crush was one thing, but LOVE?! Even if he did love her, he couldn't just walk up to her and say, "Oh, hey, Helga. So how was your day? Read any good books lately? Oh yeah! I almost forgot to tell you. I love you." Oh no. That was dreadful. She'd probably never speak to him again, and he really didn't want to turn into Curly. Unreqited love could do a number on you, and Curly was the prime example of that. Helga had cracked a joke not too long ago, about how if you looked up the word crazy in the dictionary, Curly would be there with one of his wild grins. It made him shiver at the mere thought of turning into some lovesick psychopath. No, telling her straight up that he loved her, was definitely out. Baby steps. He'd told her just today that he considered her to be one of his best friends, but what he'd left out of that was how much more he wanted her to be to him.

And that made him wonder... why had she kissed him in the hall? What possibly could have provoked her to do that? He knew he'd been treating her kindly, and he could remember feeling really loopy in affection for her at the time. Maybe she saw how he was looking at her?

He sighed, sitting on his couch and picking up the telephone. If he wanted answers, then he was going to have to go straight to the source. And quickly, because Arnie was only gone to use the bathroom, and although Arnie always took a fair amount of time, he still didn't want to take any chances.

"Hello? Oh, hi Mr. Pataki. Is Helga there?"

* * *

_Hair of wheat, of fine, fine gold_

_A story so sweet, it never gets old_

_My perfect prince, ruling over my heart_

_He may be dense, but he's a work of art_

Helga groaned at the words on the paper, feeling that she was uninspired. Curse that darned Arnie! He sucked all the inspiration out of her!

"Olga! One of your little friends is on the phone!" Bob hollered from downstairs.

Helga growled a little, and picked up the phone by her bedside. "Got it, Bob!" She threw herself back onto her bed, relaxing a little. "Phoebe?"

"Uh, no. It's Arnold."

She bolted upward in a flash. "Arnold!" She shrieked, startled, before clearing her throat and regaining her composure. "I mean, hey Football Head. Why are you calling me so late?"

"...It's only about seven thirty, Helga."

"Oh..." She winced. "Well... that's late for me. So what's up?"

"Oh, um... well, I actually was just calling to ask you... about the um..."

Helga sighed. "Spit it out, Arnold. It can't be that bad."

"I just wanted to know about...um...." For some reason, his voice lowered to a whisper. "What happened earlier and-"

"Why are you whispering?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Well, I didn't want anyone to overhear in case they came in." He whispered. "Anyway, um...I wanted to ask....and it's just because I'm curious, that's all. Why did you...um...kiss me today? I mean, don't get me wrong... I'm not complaining about it or anything, I'm just wondering because it was kind of out of the blue."

Eyes wide, Helga nearly dropped the phone out of her hand. Somehow, she should have expected this, or then again, was hoping they wouldn't quite bring it up yet. Then again, maybe it was better to somehow get everything out on the table without revealing too much of the truth. Yeah, she could do that. He did have a right to be confused and curious, and it took quite a bit of guts to ask her about it.

Normally she would have dismissed it and walked off, not to mention throwing in a slamming insult. But those days were over. At least for the most part when they were away from the prying eyes and ears of their classmates. No, he wouldn't buy it and would likely feel bad. She didn't want that now.

"Um....well...heh heh...funny you're asking me that...heh heh....well, you know, there's a lot I can say about it really. I uh...was pretty grateful for you willing to help me out and get Arnie off my back and all. Plus we're friends and all...and we did kind of kiss before so it was nothing too new...." She blushed heavily, wrapping her finger around the phone cord nervously. "G-Guess I wanted to show you my thanks and...friendly affection...a little further...I guess... Heat of the moment, too! Yeah! That's also it."

"Oh, okay." She could swear that his voice sounded almost disappointed, but it was gone as quick as it came. "I guess I can understand why you would-oh, wait, what was the homework for tonight? Pages three through six and page eight and nine of our mathbooks, right?"

Helga raised one side of her brow. "Arnold, what are you talking about?"

"No one, Arnie." Arnold suddenly said off the phone on the other line, and came back on. "Thanks for your help, I'll see you tomorrow, Helga."

Click.

Helga stared at the phone for a moment while the dial tone sounded, a little weirded out.

"What the heck was that about?"

* * *

"Why were you calling Helga?" Arnie then said.

"Like I said, asking her about homework." Arnold responded. "She may be your girl..." It pained him to say that. "But she's also my friend. I can call her if I want to."

"You were whispering."

"Sometimes I whisper on the phone." Arnold shrugged, getting off his couch and going to lay on his bed.

"Okay." Arnie said listlessly, and went to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" He questioned.

"Taking Helga for ice cream."

Once Arnie left the room, Arnold rolled over and buried his face in his pillow.

'Stupid Arnie...' Arnold thought miserably into his pillow... but that was when his mind flashed. Helga didn't like Arnie. Helga was going to break up with Arnie. Arnold lifted his head out of his pillow then, and jumped up. "WHOO HOO!"

* * *

Phil took a sip of his drink, but then heard something from upstairs. He blinked, straining his ears. "YES!!!"

Phil chuckled a little, sitting his cup down, and commenting to no one in particular, "Sounds like young Arnold is having a good night."

"You are correct, sir!" Gertie saluted in the doorway, wearing an all camo military uniform with a serious look on her face.

* * *

Helga tapped her fingers against the table, with an impatient look on her face. She sighed a little in aggrevation, and looked over to see Arnie finally coming back with their ice cream. The pale boy sat her double, chocolate sundae in front of her, and sat down.

Helga unwrapped her spoon, and blinked at the boy, one side of her eyebrow raised at him. "Aren't you going to get some ice cream?"

Arnie snorted. "They didn't have plain flavor."

Helga rolled her eyes, scooping up some of her ice cream. "Whatever."

He blinked, one eye at a time, and spoke dully, "We need to talk."

Helga's eyes instantly shifted upward at that, and she snorted herself. "Talk? Since when?"

"Since you kissed my cousin."

Helga nearly choked on her spoon, and she sat the utensil down, coughing a little and pounding her fist against her chest. "You saw?" She wheezed.

"Yeah," He snorted.

She gave him a weary look, but then sighed, her arms on the table. "Look, Arnie, I'm sorry about all that. I didn't mean to-"

"I think we should break up."

Helga froze, her hand suspended in mid-air in gesture. She stared wide-eyed at him, and then laughed slightly. "I'm sorry?"

"I think we should break up." He repeated, blinking one eye at a time.

Her jaw dropped. "You... want to break up... with me?" She blinked, a blank look spreading across her face. "You can't possibly be serious."

"I am serious." He affirmed with a snort.

"...It's because I kissed Arnold, isn't it?" She couldn't help but ask.

"You love him."

Helga sighed and slumped miserably. "Yeah, I do. ...But he doesn't love me back."

Arnie snorted in response.

"Well, anyway," Helga looked back up again. "Guess if that's how you feel, then, well, I guess that's the 'right thing to do' as Arnold would say. But you know, I'm...sorry." She looked away.

"It's okay."

She looked at him with surprise. "...Wait, what? It's okay? That's all you can say!?"

"Yeah."

"But...why? Why?! You can't possibly be that cool and calm about it! Sure you're...Arnie and all, but still!"

"I know you don't love me. It's okay."

"I...." Helga gave up and sighed. "Well, fine then. I guess we all react differently." It was strange, considering how even one little rejection sent the boy into heartbreak. Now he was so cool about it? She didn't get it. Then again...no one understood Arnie.

She finished her ice cream in silence, and then stood, and Arnie did too.

"Guess I'd better go." She said. "Um, see you around, I guess."

"Sure."

"Okay, okay, are you SURE you'll be fine? Seriously Arnie, because if you go all 'I'm heartbroken, date me' all over again, I will NOT fall for it!"

"I won't." Arnie snorted.

"...Well, okay." Helga shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

They exited the ice cream parlour, where they parted ways, going in opposite directions on their way to their respective (at least in Helga's case) homes. So things didn't quite work out, and sure Helga felt glad to know that she no longer had to keep being attached to him when she clearly was nowhere near interested, although she did feel a bit bad about breaking someone's heart, even if it was Arnie's, it was for the best.

It was better to break someone's heart than to string them along. It wasn't always easy to do, and she knew that well.

Still, it did help a little bit, didn't it?

Best of all, she smiled at this, she even got to kiss Arnold again.

Maybe this whole ordeal wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Sometime later, Arnold was doing his homework in his room, when Arnie came in, looking just the same as he always did. Arnold glanced up for a brief moment, and then went back to his work. He wondered around what had happened, whether or not if-

"I broke up with Helga." Arnie suddenly said.

Arnold's head snapped up to his cousin, his eyes wide with surprise. Despite he did see it coming, since Helga was trying to break it off with him, it was pretty surprising to hear straight out in black and white. Deep down he felt giddy and wanted to do a dance, but he held himself back. After all, at the same time, he did admittedly feel bad for him.

"Really? ...I'm sorry, Arnie."

"It's okay. I knew it had to end. So I broke up with her." Arnie snorted and sat on the couch.

"Well, I guess sometimes that-...wait, _you_ broke up with _her_?"

"Yeah."

"...Why? I thought you loved her."

"I do."

"So why did you break up with her?"

"She didn't love me."

"...Oh."

Arnie snorted in response.

Despite how great the situation was, especially since Arnie was actually the one to end things, Arnold did still feel that sense of guilt deep down. Especially over feeling so jealous. It was understandable, he knew, but it still didn't feel right.

"Arnie, listen...I'm sorry for the way I acted. I guess I was pretty jealous. A little too jealous." Arnold said, looking at his cousin then. "I'm really sorry. And I'm sorry that I kissed Helga too."

"It's okay." Arnie said dully, snorting.

"Still... I feel like it's my fault you had to break up with Helga. And I'm sorry for that."

"It was one-sided. Wouldn't have worked anyway."

"True, but still, I-"

"Don't worry about it." Arnie cut him off. "I'm cool."

Arnold stared at his cousin for a few moments longer, and went back to his homework. Oh well, at least everything was going back to normal and falling into place.

Well...almost everything.

* * *

"So, guess Arnie told you we broke up, huh?"

"Yeah, he did. I have to admit I was pretty surprised about it, considering he was the one who ended it."

"Hey, I know! I didn't see it coming, let me tell you."

It was the next day, and Arnold and Helga were at the library doing their homework together after school had been out. It was actually Arnie who told Arnold to invite her to do something like that, and she'd accepted. After all, it was refreshing to have time alone together where they could be themselves (for the most part) without the prying eyes and ears of their peers.

"But I guess it was for the best." Helga went on, shrugging a bit. "One-sided love relationships never work out. Besides, he wasn't my type."

Arnold looked up at her then, feeling a sense of hope. "He wasn't?"

"Nope. Not a bit." She looked at him casually.

"Well, I guess that's understandable, considering how he is...but I guess he must have something if Lila saw love in him. Um...well, if you don't mind my asking, what is your type?"

"My type? Um...well I uh...." She blushed a bit, not sure how to respond to that. The answer was obvious; her type was a boy just like him. "I guess... um...well...I like nice guys, yeah."

"You do?" His eyes lit up.

"Well, yeah. I mean, you wouldn't want someone who is exactly just like you, would you?"

Arnold paused, thinking of that.

"The point is, I think, a good relationship comes from having a good balance of common ground and differences. If you have too much of either, forget it."

"Good point." Arnold murmured thoughtfully. "I never thought of it that way before."

Helga shrugged. "Hey, it's common sense."

She did make a good point, now that he thought about it. Helga was a lot like him in a way, considering the nicer side of her personality and how they shared a lot of the same interests. But then there was her stronger, more aggressive side and the way she viewed life, being realistic and able to keep his head out of the clouds. At the same time, he could help calm her down and inspired her more to come out of her shell and be herself.

Amazingly, he realized, they were really good for each other.

He wondered if she thought that too.

"I guess you're right." He looked back at her and smiled. "Well Helga, I know you'll find someone who meets that criteria and is your type." '_I hope so, at least.'_ He placed his hand on top of hers, his eyes nor smile never leaving her face.

Helga's heart beat fast and she managed a smile. "Yeah...you too, football head." '_Man I wish..._'

For a few moments, they just sat there, smiling at each other and lost in each other's eyes, both silently thinking how much they loved the other, without the other's knowledge. Of course, anyone who looked at them and not knew who they were would assume right away that they were a couple. The intense chemistry between them was just too much to come off as friends.

At another end of the library, Gerald and Phoebe were also doing homework together. Or rather, Phoebe had wanted to come and Gerald decidedly went with her to spend more time with her. They couldn't help but occasionally glance at their respective best friends.

"Okay, when's he just going to ask her out already?" Gerald snickered.

Phoebe giggled. "I suppose it will happen when it happens."

"Guess I'd better be prepared for the three-hour-long sessions of him going on about how awesome she is." Gerald playfully rolled his eyes.

"Oh Gerald." Phoebe giggled more. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Nah, I've lived through all his crushes... And if you think that's bad, well, I ain't seen nothing like him being in love." Gerald glanced at them again. "Makes me want to hug a thousand kitty cats and lose my lunch all at once."

Phoebe laughed. "Gerald!"

"I'm just sayin'..."

Meanwhile, in another section of the library...

"Um, hello there, Arnie..."

"Hey."

"Listen, I know we're no longer together...but would you mind ever so much if I sat with you?"

"Go ahead."

"Oh, thank you!" Lila happily sat down with Arnie. "So how are you?"

"Fine. Those shelves of books there has one-hundred and twenty-nine books, I counted." Arnie snorted.

Lila giggled. "Your accuracy in numbers is every so astounding."

"Thanks. It's my hobby."

He looked back at his cousin far across the library, and snorted again.

"They've been staring at each other for three minutes and twelve seconds."

"That long?"

"Yeah."

"Arnie, would you mind ever so much going to see a movie tonight? Just as friends?"

"Sure."

Arnie may have been Arnold's weird cousin, but he maybe he wasn't so bad after all either.


	3. School Play

**SuprSingr: Hello, friendly reading peoples! :3 Bet you didn't think you'd ever hear from OUR sorry butts again, now did ya? XD Soooooorry... X(**

NintendoGal55: So again, we're SO sorry to have taken so long, but we hope this VERY LONG AND SPECIAL chapter, based off of the episode "School Play" will be good for you guys! :D

SuprSingr: Yuppers, we made sure to make it extra fluffy and awesome for you guys! :D Because we wove you. :3 ...Try not to spontaneously combust during some of this... because I'm not kiss-KIDDING when I say that this is some FLUFFY crap. XD

NintendoGal55: What's to come next? You'll see! :)

Disclaimer: We do NOT own anything! JEEZ! How many times have we got to say it until you get it in your heads?/Seriously! You people have even thicker skulls than Arnold and Helga here! And you KNOW THAT'S sayin' somethin'! 

XXX

"All right, which one is better? The _Jaws_ theme or the _Halloween_ theme music? Come on, I'm sure even you can pick one!"

"It's hard to, actually. The _Jaws_ theme had build up and suspense, which was really part of the movie's charm, the hints of the approaching shark, I guess. _Halloween_ on the other hand had the theme in a really creepy, eerie and bone-chilling kind of way. It's hard to choose since they're both pretty different and really awesome in their own rights."

"Huh, you make a good point there, I'll admit that. Darn it, why do you always have to counter me with logic and digging deeper?"

"You wouldn't learn anything interesting if I didn't do that."

Helga gave a playful scowl and poked his nose. "You're in for it now, hair boy."

"Really?" Arnold looked up at her innocently.

The two of them were walking to school together one morning, which was something they did every other day or so. But of course, they never showed up directly at school together. They would always stop a block away, where they would part ways and make it seem as if they were showing up separately. No one seemed to notice it, so it was probably safe.

It had been two weeks since Arnie's visit, and things had been considerably back to normal between them. Only their inner feelings were more intense, on the other hand. Arnold wanted to ask her out SO much, but the fear of rejection and ruining their friendship scared him, so he held back. Luckily, they did go out together as friends a few times over the past two weeks. They went to the baseball game together, loudly cheering the home team together, and the weekend after, they'd gone to a live Wrestlemania show. Arnold was never much into wrestling, but after going with Helga, he found himself actually finding it fun and interesting.

Between those "outings between friends", they also went for ice cream, walks in the park, the arcade, and sometimes just hanging out at his house. Whatever struck their fancy. They even went out with Gerald and Phoebe on a "double friends outing", as Gerald called it. Once more denying that he and Phoebe were a couple.

It was kind of like being a couple.

Oh well, at least they could be around each other and spending time together. That's what really mattered.

In fact, things between them were getting better. Helga even opened up about a couple of her family problems...by ranting about them for about fifteen minutes, while Arnold sat back and listened to her, not interrupting. When she'd finished, he had given her a hug and comforted her, letting her know she wasn't alone, and that he was there to for her if she ever needed it. She had to admit, it did feel good to talk about these problems. Especially to someone who was so caring and loving.

"Yep." She pulled her finger away and shifted her gaze up ahead. To her dismay, P.S. 118 came into view about a block and a half away. "...Well, guess it's time to part ways then."

"Huh?" Arnold followed her gaze and felt his good mood drop a bit. "...Oh, right. I'll, um, see you later, I guess. Can I still walk you home after school?"

Helga snickered. "You just can't get enough of me, can you? What have I done to you?"

Arnold laughed. "A lot. I guess I can't help it."

"That's an understatement! But _yes,_ Arnold, you can walk me home after school if it means that much to you."

"Yes, Helga, you're just the highlight of my day." He smiled at her playfully, and though he was joking to her about it... he was being honest.

She rolled her eyes, and they then waved to eachother, and went their separate ways, both eagerly anticipating the end of school.

"Outta my way, geekbait! One side, morons! Move along!"

In the hallways of the school, things were in "normal" mode, which although did dismay them both, it was an understanding considering they both had to adjust to all of this. One step at a time, right?

Still, it didn't stop Arnold from casting a half-lidded, lovesick glance her way. She didn't see, and no one else seemed to notice. Holding it a couple of moments, he went back to getting things out of his locker.

"Mmmm mmmm mmmm. You my man, are falling harder and harder for her every day." Gerald remarked as he came up beside him.

Arnold blushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I can't help it Gerald, there's just so much about liking her that has me hooked." He shut his locker.

"No kiddin'." Gerald shook his head and walked with him to class. "And a little over a month ago, you were scared of being in the same room alone with her."

"I was not!" He protested. "I mean, even back then she wasn't so bad."

"Whatever you say, Arnold."

"If it hadn't been for whoever wrote 'Arnold Loves Helga' on the wall in chalk, I guess I never would've had the chance to realize just how amazing she really is. It's so funny, I never felt like this with any other girl before. Not so strongly, anyway."

Gerald knew that all too well. He'd had to live through his best friend's crushes before, as intense as they were, it was NOTHING like this. Granted, the lovesick stares, doodling the girl's name in his notebook with hearts, reciting romantic poetry in their name, talking for time on end about how wonderful they were, were all there of course. But this time, it was maxed up to the extreme. A crush turned the poor boy into a babbling lovesick fool, but love? Don't even go there. It was a crush times one million.

As creepy and sick as it was, Gerald couldn't deny that he was happy for his best buddy finding someone he really liked. It was funny too, since although Arnold did have a physical attraction to Helga, which was funny to hear since he even called her "beautiful" sometimes, but it was her personality that really caught him hook line and sinker. That was an interesting development since most of his crushes were based on how pretty the girl was. Ruth McDougal had been an example of that, being so pretty and not knowing a thing about her.

Yep. Gerald knew all too well that his buddy was in love. At such a young and tender age, but who was he to argue with love?

Even if he did want to go hug a thousand kitty cats and barf up his breakfast at the same time.

Then again, it did give him a chance to spend more time with Phoebe. That was a huge bonus.

"-really nice when she does that, letting her hair down like that. Don't get me wrong, I like her pigtails, they're really fun and all, but she looks really soft and pretty when she lets her hair down. Especially when she wears her bow along with it. It's cute, it really is."

"Arnold," Gerald said then, his hand on his shoulder. "Will you just ask her out already? Come on man, you're crazy in love with her and you've kissed her one time, ain't it about time you dated?"

Arnold sighed, shaking his head. "I do want to ask her out Gerald, I do want to be more than just friends. But, I really don't want to ruin our friendship or get rejected. She means a lot to me, and I'd hate to lose her. Besides, there's no way she could like me back. She'll just laugh in my face and call me a lovesick freak. And besides, it's not bad. At least we get to hang out and spend time together. I guess if I can't be with her, I can be around her."

"Always lookin' at the bright side." Gerald smiled.

"Someone has to." Arnold smiled too. "Well, I guess I can't rule it out completely. I guess I just have to take baby steps."

"Whatever you say, Arnold."

They made it to class, with half the class already there. Helga and Phoebe were there already too, sitting next to each other and chatting about something. Their eyes met for a moment, and she lifted her finger in a motion of waving, which he did in return before sitting down.

The day had been going well so far, and it was lunch time, as Arnold stared down at a little dish filled with some kind of green, jiggly substance with a weary expression.

"Take a picture, Arnoldo. It'll last longer." Helga snarked at him, with a smirk.

Arnold looked over towards her, and then back at the dish. "I was just trying to figure out what this green stuff is."

Helga rolled her eyes a little. "Oh, who cares? It's green, it's in a dish, and since it's being served in a school cafeteria, I think it's safe to say that it's edible. Are you gonna eat it or not?" She leaned in a little, her hands on her hips.

He just blinked at her, and put it on his tray. "I guess." He looked around them cautiously, before offering her a secret smile. He lowered his voice slightly to her, "Well, I'll see ya later, Helga." He smiled, before walking off, tray in hand.

Helga watched him go, a lovesick expression painted across her face. She sighed dreamily before slapping herself and walking off.

It was later on after lunch time, and everyone was back in the classroom, chattering among themselves.

Mr. Simmons walked in then, bringing everyones' attention to him. "Class, I have an exciting and very special announcement!" He put his hands to his chest, smiling at all his students as he spoke, "I have been assigned to direct PS 118's annual school play. And I've chosen, one of the theater's great works for you all to perform." He held up a big red book from his desk, the words 'Romeo and Juliet' written on it in gold. "William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'! Isn't that just thrilling?"

They all stared at him with blank expressions, and a cricket could be heard in the backround.

He cleared his throat gruffly, and lifted a finger, looking over towards Gerald. "Lights."

Gerald flicked the lights off, and a projector came on, showing the name 'Romeo and Juliet' once again in gold, over top some purple stage curtains. Mr. Simmons spoke, "The play is a tragic and beautiful story of two star-crossed teenagers in love." The projector then showed two teens in fine clothes, holding hands. It then switched to a picture of two men fighting in the streets, as Mr. Simmons continued talking, "Although their families were sworn enemies," The screen switched to the two teens looking at eachother across a ball room. "when Romeo and Juliet's eyes met across a crowded room, the both fell head over heels in love."

Helga smiled at the screen with a half-lidded gaze, and then inconspicuously glanced over at Arnold, who was too lost in his daydreams to notice her. His eyes unconsciously met with hers, and her eyes went wide. She offered a shaky smile, before shifting her eyes away quick and scowling to herself for losing focus like that. Arnold just smiled at her, and then glanced back at the screen as Mr. Simmons continued talking, "Their parents and friends wanted to keep them apart but they vowed to be together no matter what."

Arnold couldn't help but find that a bit familiar for some reason, and he looked over towards Helga with a thoughtful expression.

Stinky raised his hand in the middle of his talking, and Mr. Simmons blinked, pointing to him. "Y-Yes, Stinky?"

Arnold was broken from his thoughts at this.

"That sounds like a mushy ol' love story. Why can't we do a play with some fightin' in it?" He asked, swinging his fists around slightly.

Mr. Simmons smiled, walking over to flip the lights back on. "Well, Stinky, although Romeo and Juliet is a love story, there's plenty of action in the plot." He walked back to the front of the room. "I-In fact, two of the characters, Romeo and Tybolt, become embroiled, in an exciting sword fight."

Stinky grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Now that's more like it."

Harold grinned also, banging his fists against his desk and hollering out, "I wanna be in the sword fight!"

Mr. Simmons smiled. "Maybe you can, Harold. Auditions will be this afternoon in the auditorium. And you're all welcome to come and try out."

The bell rang, and everyone broke into a chatter about it.

Helga humphed, her arms crossed over her chest. "Heh! Fourth graders doing Romeo and Juliet. What a dopey idea. Welp, I can tell you one thing, there's no way Helga G. Pataki's gonna be in any dumb Shakespeare play."

"Oh come on, Helga. You love Shakespeare."

Helga jumped in her seat, and her head snapped to her left to find Arnold looking at her with a small smile. She put a hand to her heart, feeling it beat rapidly beneath her hand. "Geez, Football Head! Don't scare me like that!" She took a few deep breaths, and then glanced around, seeing that everyone had left. She stood from her seat. "Yeah, so what? It doesn't mean I want to actually be in the play." She replied, walking out the door with him following after, as everyone had already run out of the school to the buses.

He shrugged, falling into step at her side. "I don't see why not. I thought you'd be excited over something like this." He smiled.

They walked out of the school, beginning to walk down the sidewalk towards her home as she spoke, "Look, Arnold, I love poetry, but that doesn't mean I want to be in some stupid old poet's play. I'd rather write my own play." She smiled at the mere thought of that.

Arnold smiled a little at that. "That'd definitely be an interesting play. I'd love to see that."

She snickered. "Maybe I could cast you as the lead." She blinked, feeling they were getting off track. She shook her head. "Anyway, even if I did write a play. It wouldn't matter. Point is, I don't want to be in some stupid romantic play." She shuddered for show.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I get it. I don't really want to be in the play either. But if it's any consellation, Helga." He glanced at her. "I think you'd make a wonderful Juliet."

Helga's mind blanked at that, feeling a slight heat beginning to creep onto her pale cheeks.

"You...really think so?" She dared to question.

"Well yeah, I definitely think you would be a pretty good actress. You're really passionate things and have a strong sense of character. You'd make a good Juliet, I bet you could learn to play her really well." He said honestly.

The blush increased on her cheeks and she looked away, swooning inwardly at his sweet compliment. Just about every word that came out of his mouth to her was adorably sweet! What did she do to deserve such a thing?

"Gosh, well...thanks, football head." Helga murmured. "I guess I couldn't be that bad."

Arnold smiled fondly. "You're welcome. I think you'd be great."

"Okay, I getcha now." She waved it off. "And ya know, you probably wouldn't be too shabby yourself. In the play, I mean. Not quite as Juliet! ...Although, that would be kind of ironic. Did you know way back in the day, the production of Romeo and Juliet was casted entirely of male actors?"

His eyes widened. "Really? It was?"

"You bet! It happened a lot back then. So if they had a boy be Juliet, which I doubt they'll do...it'd be almost going back to the old days."

"It would be kind of weird, unless it was an all-boy's school or an all-girl's school." Arnold shrugged.

"Ohhh, I see what you did there. Har har harty har har. Well then Arnoldo, looks like we'll have to sit back and see what happens, eh?" She nudged him in the side.

Arnold chuckled and nodded. "It should be interesting, all right."

"And you know, strictly hypothetically, if I ever DID, Heaven forbid, land the role of Juliet, you know I might just have you practice my lines with me, right? You know, you'd be my practice Romeo."

"Well sure Helga, I'd definitely help you out and prompt you."

"Of course you would, you wouldn't be Arnold if you didn't."

He laughed heartily, and unconsciously held her hand in assurance. "I guess you're right. But it's true, I would help you out if you needed it. You're my friend, and friends help each other."

_'And that's all I'll ever be...'_ She thought bitterly. Still, they'd made a lot of progress over the past month and a half or so. "Well doi, and I know I can't argue with 'Arnold Logic'!"

"Come on, I'm not always right. There are times you can argue against what I say."

"Oh, so the Great Saint Football Head admits that he can be wrong?" Helga smirked and looked at him, not once noticing that they were holding hands, which she squeezed his. "There's a shocker!"

"Hey, I'm still human." Arnold smiled, hiding a laugh behind his free hand. "And no one's right all the time."

"I am." She jerked her thumb at herself.

"No way."

"Yes way."

"Helga..."

"Yes?" Helga batted her eyelashes flirtingly, looking down at him with innocence.

Arnold blushed and smiled. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Darn straight, football head. Whatever I say." She looked up, and much to her dismay, her front stoop came into view. "...Well there we are. My house again."

Arnold looked too, and sighed. "Oh, already?"

"Looks like we lost track again. We need to pay more attention!"

"You're right, but I guess it's hard since we seem to have so much fun."

She blushed again, smiling at the thought. "Y-Yeah, I guess so. Um, so yeah! Tomorrow, same time, same place?"

He grinned and nodded. "Sure, Helga. I don't know about you, but I think now you can't seem to get enough of me."

"Arnold!" Helga tried to scold, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face or the laughter out of her voice. "Quit stealing my lines!"

"Okay, I'll stop."

"Good!"

"Okay."

"Oh no you don't! Don't pull an Arnie!" She yelled, laughing, and then put on a bored face. "Hey. I'm Arnie. I like plain flavoured gum. I have a lucky pile of dirt. Its name is...lucky pile of dirt. I collect lint balls. I'm as exciting as watching paint dry. Oh yes, I'm so exciting. I am ecstatic. Listen to my phleghmy snort." She gave a snort through one nostril for good measure.

Arnold laughed heartily, holding his stomach with his free hand. "That sounds like him!"

"Hey, he's easy." She shrugged, and looked down at their joined hands. "...Uh, when did this happen?"

"Huh?" He blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

Helga rolled her eyes and pointed down at their hands. "THAT."

"O-Oh! Oh. Sorry." Arnold pulled his hand away.

"Don't be sorry, guess it happens sometimes. Maybe our hands have magnets or something, which would explain why we hold them so much."

He blushed a bit. "I guess so. ...Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Right, yeah, tomorrow...and stuff."

On impulse, he took her hand back, raised it up his lips and kissed it. Her eyes widened considerably and she blushed in response as he waved to her and walked off down the street.

Helga stared at her hand for a couple of moments, a lovesick grin tracing her features.

Once she got over herself, she hurried inside, uttered a dismissive hello to Miriam as she walked by, and went upstairs to her room. She went into her closet, turning on the various Christmas lights, and pushing her clothing aside to get to her Arnold shrine.

"Well...so the football head thinks I'll make a good Juliet? What a sweetie! Amazing how he has such faith in my acting skills!" Helga produced her locket and sighed happily. "Arnold my love, your wondrous praise never ceases to make my heart fill with the warmth of your words and soothe my ears with the lyrical sound of your voice! If my Juliet will make you smile, then oh, if I had the power to do so..."

She paused for a moment, and she could swear that lightbulb went on above her head.

"Wait a minute, that's it! If I want to impress Arnold, then I'll have to go for Juliet! Yeah, I can do that... I bet I could play Juliet. No problem, it's just learning some lines, doing some acting, hey, a monkey could do it! I could be a great Juliet, and totally sweep my beloved football head off his feet!"

...

"_Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend! Is it more sin to wish me thus forsworn, or to dispraise my lord with that same tongue which she hath praised him with above compare so many thousand times? Go, counsellor; Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain. I'll to the friar, to know his remedy: If all else fail, myself have power to die_." She recited dramatically, breathing a bit heavily at the end.

Mr. Simmons sat, mouth agaped, watching as Helga just stood there and panted. After another moment, her pants having subsided, she began feeling a bit self-conscious that he hadn't said anything yet. She fidgeted a little, staring down at Mr. Simmons with bated breath.

After another moment, he snapped out of his seat, and began clapping enthusiastically, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Helga, that was remarkable!"

Helga smiled then, feeling anxious, she blurted out, "So does that mean I get the part of Juliet?"

Mr. Simmons' grin seemed to widen, if possible. "Of course, Helga. That was so very special! Perfect!"

Rhonda stomped onto the stage then, gripping her script in one hand, as they rested on her hips. "Hey, wait a minute. I haven't auditioned yet. You can't just give the part to her and be done with it. What about call backs?"

Mr. Simmons' grin dropped then, and he gasped. "Oh, you're absolutely right, Rhonda. I'm so sorry. It's just that, Helga played the part so beautfully. I couldn't help but-... I'd really just like for Helga to play Juliet, Rhonda." He told her apologetically. "But you can still try out for her understudy." He added.

Rhonda scowled, and Helga simply casted her a smug smile, her arms crossed over her chest. "Sorry to ruin your plans there, Princess." She quipped, before walking off the stage gracefully, her head held high in pride.

Rhonda humphed.

The noise only made Helga's grin widen, though.

This was going better than she thought.

...

Word had gotten around by the next day when the roles, except for Romeo, were announced, especially since Helga was now playing Juliet. Her plan to impress Arnold had definitely worked, despite that he didn't know of it yet.

At least, not until now.

It was recess, and Harold, Stinky, Sid, and Curly were talking about the play, and were also on callback.

"Well Willikers! Did ya hear? Helga of all people's playin' Juliet!" Said Stinky.

On the swings nearby at a distance, Arnold, along with Gerald, was swinging carelessly until he suddenly heard Helga mentioned. Immediately he perked up and listened in on their conversation, ceasing in his swinging.

"Heh, yeah! She's not so bad. She makes a good Juliet." Curly said with a mild shrug.

Harold hooted, laughing hard. "Least I'm not the sucker who's gotta be Romeo!"

Stinky nodded in agreement. "No kiddin', Ah sure feel bad for the poor fella who's gotta be Romeo, since he's gotta kiss Juliet."

"Yeggh! That's disgusting, even for me!" Curly gagged.

"And Helga of all people!" Harold grimaced at this. "Eww! C'mon, let's go play basketball!"

"Boy howdy, I feel bad for whoever has to be Romeo!" Sid proclaimed.

Walking away toward the basketball court, the boys were oblivious to the stunned, and amazed Arnold they had left behind in their wake.

"Helga's playing Juliet...? And she kisses whoever is playing Romeo?" Arnold finally said, blinking a few times as he continued to process the information.

"That's what they said, man." Gerald said, shaking his head before looking at his best friend knowingly, and yet blankly.

"If Helga's playing Juliet..." His hands suddenly gripped the chains of his swing a little too tightly. "Then that means-"

"Some other guy's gonna get a kiss from Helga G. Pataki and you're not too happy about that since you're in love with her." Gerald finished for him.

"...Yeah." Arnold slumped in misery. "What if she...likes it? What if she wants to date the boy then?"

"Oh come on, Arnold! Since when do you look away from the bright side! It ain't that simple! One kiss doesn't change your entire feeling of someone or anything! ...On second thought, never mind that." The African-American boy shook his head. "It's a one in a million chance."

"Yeah...that's true." Arnold murmured, swinging lightly. "But still, Gerald, I'm just not comfortable with that, seeing Helga kiss another boy."

"So let me guess." Gerald said, giving him a blank stare. "You wanna play Romeo so you can kiss her?"

"Well I..." He paused, thinking of that. "Wait a minute, that's a great idea! If I ended up playing Romeo, we'd get to kiss."

"Mmmmm mmmm mmmm. You're a bold kid, Arnold. I can't believe it, you kissed Helga one time, and you still want to?"

Arnold blushed heavily, stopping in his swinging. "Well..."

Now it was Gerald's turn to be surprised. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Back up! Do you mean to tell me-"

"Yes, Gerald. We've kissed more than once."

"Say WHAT? When did that happen!"

"Not so loud!" Arnold shushed him, looking around frantically to make sure no one was listening.

"Sorry, man." Gerald lowered his voice. "So you're serious? You kissed her more than ONCE?"

The blonde boy nodded, still blushing. "Yes."

"Explain." Gerald crossed his arms, staring at him accusingly. "How many times?"

"Not including our first kiss, five times."

"Five times?"

"Gerald!"

"You and Helga kissed FIVE times? Um, Arnold my man, ain't that indication enough that she likes you?"

"Gerald...they were just in the heat of the moment." Arnold said sadly. He sighed, stopping in his swinging again.

"And WHEN did they happen?"

"The first one happened at the Cheese Festival. We were on the Tunnel of Love, and we were talking. I guess it kind of got to us, because we kind of leaned in and kissed. We even..."

"No way man, you didn't..."

"...French Kissed."

"SAY WHAT?" Gerald yelled, causing the other students to look at them. "S-Sorry..." He lowered his voice. "Arnold, you're nine!"

"I know, I know! A-Anyway, the second time we kissed was after I walked her home that night. ...We pulled away and we kind of kissed again."

"Jeez, man! Three kisses in one night!"

"I know..." Arnold murmured dreamily.

"Er, anyway, the other two?"

"Oh, right. The fourth one happened when we went to the Reptile House together. It wasn't much, but it was an exhibit where a Hermotologist was demonstrating how he had two of his snakes seem as if they're kissing each other. He thought we were a couple since we were holding hands. Anyway, the idea was that he puts real-life people kissing under the kissing snakes, and he asked us to demonstrate. I didn't want Helga to feel uncomfortable, but she said since we kissed a few times before, it would be nothing. So we did, I guess. Last time it happened was when Arnie was here. It was after school, and Helga was begging me to help get Arnie off her back. I offered to help her out, and she was so grateful that she kissed me."

"'So grateful that she kissed you'?" Gerald questioned with an eyebrow raised. "I wonder if she KNOWS you like her or something, and that was like a reward for helping her."

"WHAT?" Arnold asked, alarmed at the idea.

Gerald snickered. "Just messing with ya. I desperately needed a break from all this gooey-ooey stuff." He stated, sticking his tongue out a little in distaste.

Arnold just sighed lightly, and looked away.

Gerald smiled then, swinging a bit on his swing. "So... ya really gonna do it?"

Arnold blinked, looking over at him. "Do what?"

Gerald rolled his eyes a little, leaning his swing over toward him a little as he elaborated. "Try out for Romeo just so you can get Helga to lay one of ya."

Arnold nodded instantly, a smile coming to his face. "Of course. If I don't get the part, I'll have to see Helga kiss-" He stopped there, shaking his head at the thought. He didn't even want to think about that. He stood up then.

Gerald stopped swinging. "Where are you going, man?"

Arnold began walking away, answering him from over his shoulder. "I'm going to go over to Mr. Simmons to get a script so I can try out!"

Gerald watched him run off into the school, shaking his head slightly. "Of all the girls to get a crush on, why Helga?"

-~~-

Arnold bursted through the doors of the classroom, running up to a very surprised Mr. Simmons at his desk. He grinned enthusiastically. "Hey, Mr. Simmons! I need a script for the play, please."

Mr. Simmons blinked. "Really, Arnold? You're going to try out?"

Arnold grinned a bit brighter, nodding his head in affirmation.

Mr. Simmons smiled then, and opened up a drawer, picking out a script and handing it to Arnold's eager hands from across his desk. "Well, that's great, Arnold. Who are you going to try out for?"

Arnold answered him, already looking through his script. "Romeo."

Mr. Simmons frowned at that lightly, laying his arms on the desk. "Now, Arnold, you know there's a kissing scene, right?"

Arnold seemed to smile even brighter at that, still looking through his script. "I heard."

Mr. Simmons blinked in surprise, and then smiled again. "Oh, and you're not disgusted by that?"

Arnold looked up from his script, pausing. "Well... Helga is playing Juliet, right?" He asked, leaning in slightly from across the desk and his script still open in his hands.

Mr. Simmons blinked again, now in bewilderment, though his small smile remained. "Yes."

Arnold's grin returned, slamming his script shut and adjusting it so it was under his arm. "Then I don't think it'll be a problem at all."

With that, he walked out the door, leaving a pleasantly surprised and slightly confused Mr. Simmons at his desk.

"We'll I'll be." He murmured to himself, smiling.

...

Later on, during the auditions, now with Romeo, Eugene was also trying out for Romeo, much to Arnold's dismay, since Eugene was a pretty good actor. But none the less, he kept his head high and ready to audition.

Since Helga was playing Juliet, Mr. Simmons brought her in to help in prompting them, to which she'd reluctantly agreed to.

That is, until she saw that Arnold was trying out for Romeo. It made her heart jump in joy that her beloved was trying for Romeo, since not only would she be able to impress him with her performance, but she would star alongside him AND be able to kiss him! She had realized she'd have to kiss whoever was Romeo, and she wasn't too fond of that one bit, but she knew she had to make a sacrifice. And it wouldn't change anything, she would still love Arnold always. Still, she wondered why he was auditioning. He had expressed he wasn't so interested in actually starring in the play, and now here he was, actually auditioning, and for the lead male role as Romeo no less! He DID know they'd have to kiss, right?

So...why?

A tiny part of her pertained the idea that it was because he secretly liked her, but she knew that was just wishful thinking. It was more likely that since they were friends, and had kissed quite a few times before, he wanted to help make it easier for her and not have to kiss some other boy. That made sense, right?

Either way, if Arnold played Romeo, it would make things EVEN BETTER!

_Maybe I can even get us to rehearse together..._ Helga thought deviously.

Afte Eugene finished with his audition, Arnold then stepped forward, and both of them exchanged secretive but nervous glances.

"Soooo football head, what made you change your mind?" Helga asked with a light smirk, though curious.

"Oh, you know... I guess I just kind of changed my mind." Arnold admitted. "I mean, you don't mind, do you?"

"Nah, we're all friends here." She shrugged.

"Okay you two, we'll get started in...let's see, here we go! Act three, scene five, in the Capulet orchard. You first Arnold, start at line two." Mr. Simmons directed.

"All right." Arnold turned to the appropriate page, and took a deep breath as he began to recite Romeo's line. "_It was the lark, the herald of the morn. No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks do lace the severing clouds in yonder east: Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die_."

"_Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I: It is some meteor that the sun exhales, to be to thee this night a torch-bearer, and light thee on thy way to Mantua: Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone._" Helga responded as Juliet.

"_Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death; I am content, so thou wilt have it so. I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye,'tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow; Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat the vaulty heaven so high above our heads: I have more care to stay than will to go: Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so. How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day._"

"_It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away! It is the lark that sings so out of tune, straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps. Some say the lark makes sweet division; This doth not so, for she divideth us: Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes, O, now I would they had changed voices too! Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray, hunting thee hence with hunt's-up to the day, O, now be gone; more light and light it grows._"

"_More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!_"

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Mr. Simmons clapped ecstatically. "You two are great! Arnold, though you do need a little more practice, you are a terrific Romeo! And overall, you two have an amazing set of chemistry going on that I just know would be great to present to the crowd! Now, I'll admit I'm not sure who to pick between you and Eugene. I'll evaluate your performances tonight and then you two can return for a callback audition on Monday after school!"

"Okay, Mr. Simmons." Said Arnold, closing his script. He looked at Helga and gave her a thumbs up, their little signal to say they were still good to walk home together after they got outside.

She winked at him and gave him one back, and retracted with enough time to revert to her "usual" persona she put on in school. She then walked off to go talk to Phoebe, who had been assigned to be stage manager, and he watched her walk off, with a soft, dreamy smile on his face.

Coming back to reality, Arnold headed into the dressing room to retrieve his bag, and found Eugene in there, practising his lines and poses in front of the mirror.

"Wow, Arnold, can you believe that we're actually tied to be Romeo?" He said brightly.

"Um, it is pretty exciting, I guess." Arnold shrugged.

Eugene turned to him, scratching his head. "You know Arnold, there's something I don't quite get, though. A few days ago, you said that you really weren't interesting in being in the play at all."

Arnold fidgeted nervously. "Oh, yeah, well... I guess I just... had a change of heart." He looked away, clearly uncomfortable.

Blinking, Eugene then smiled. "Oh, well okay then. So, can you believe that HELGA was actually cast as the role of Juliet? I didn't even know she could act, but she's pretty good."

"Oh, yeah, I guess it would seem surprising."

"Mmm-hm."

Hesitating for a moment, Arnold gave a small smile and looked away. "But she's not really a bad choice. I mean, she's really..."

Eugene blinked. "What do you mean?"

Coming back to reality, he shook his head. "Oh, um, I just mean, that the kiss scene really won't be so bad with her." Smiling, Arnold silently added. "In fact it might even be nice..."

Suddenly turning to him, Eugene blinked and looked surprised. "Kiss? What kiss?"

"What?" Arnold also blinked in surprise.

"What kiss, Arnold?" Eugene corrected himself, looking uncomfortable.

"You mean, you don't know about the kissing scene?" Asked Arnold, looking genuinely surprised at this. He hadn't known that Eugene didn't know about the kiss.

"What kissing scene, Arnold?" The redhead repeated again.

"Um... the final scene... you know, where Juliet kisses Romeo while he's laying on the floor dead?"

"Whoa whoa, wait a minute... so Romeo dies, and then Juliet... as in Helga... actually kisses Romeo, as in me?"

"Um... yeah?"

Eugene looked unsure then.

"Well, it's not exactly a life shattering kiss or anything. It's just a little peck, and then it's over." Arnold reasoned, trying to make him feel better. Eugene WAS his friend, after all. _What are you doing?_

Eugene blinked again, looking at his copy of the script. "Oh... well, a little peck doesn't sound so bad... and it is Helga. She tends to get pretty into her role, so she'll be gentle I know. Just like Juliet would be with her Romeo."

"Very gentle..." Arnold murmured.

"And I overheard some girls saying that they were going to be 'making her up', or something. They even said that she'd be wearing some kind of flavored lip balm. Like, cherry or lemons or something." Eugene went on, shrugging.

"Cherries and lemons..."

"And she'll be in costume, so she'll probably look a lot better than she usually does. Maybe even pretty. You know, hair in a braid, flowing dress, pretty flowers."  
"Very, very pretty..."

"And you're right. It could be a lot worse. I mean, at least Helga looks like she's a pretty good kisser. Not that I really care. You said it was just going to be a peck..." Eugene turned to him then, looking serious. "It is just going to be a peck right?

Arnold nodded, still in a daze. "Yeah, a peck... a mere second in the fabric of reality... one blissful second..." A goofy smile crossed his face.

Eugene looked at him, puzzled. "Uh... Arnold, are you okay?"

"Hm?" Arnold said dreamily, and then shook his head. "Uh... yeah, Eugene, I'm fine." He blushed a bit.

"Oh, okay... Uh, Arnold?"

"Yeah?"

"The reason why you suddenly wanted to be Romeo, wouldn't be because you sorta liked... Helga, would it?"

Arnold's eyes widened and he tensed, blushing. "What?"

"It's okay, Arnold. I mean, if you liked Helga, I wouldn't mind giving up the part of Romeo so you could play it. Plus, I'm not too into the kissing thing..." Eugene admitted uncomfortably.

"Well, I-I...um...I... I..." The blonde boy shifted his eyes nervously.

"Look, Arnold, if it's some sort of secret, I won't tell anyone."

"I never said I liked Helga!" More blush.

"Well, by the way you're acting, I just thought-"

"Wait a minute... you said that if I liked Helga, then you'd let me play Romeo?" Arnold questioned.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Eugene smiled.

Hesitating, Arnold tensed a little more as he now was about to reveal his little secret. He then said very quietly, "I like Helga."

"Huh?" Eugene said, not hearing him.

"I like Helga." Arnold repeated a little louder.

Eugene blinked. "I'm sorry, Arnold, but I just can't hear-"

"I like Helga, okay? I like her a lot! A WHOLE lot!" Arnold burst, blushing. He then composed himself. "I just want to be Romeo so I can kiss her, okay?" He blushed more and looked away.

Taken aback, Eugene looked at him before he responded to his rather passionate confession. "Well, gosh... um, okay, Arnold."

Arnold looked at him hopefully, surprised. "Really?"

"Sure. I wasn't too crazy about the whole kissing thing anyway. It's all yours." Eugene then began to walk out the door. "And don't worry, Arnold. Your secret is safe with me." Eugene smiled.

Arnold sighed in relief and smiled back. "Thanks, Eugene."

"Anytime, Arnold!"

XXX

"So hey, you landed the part of Romeo, huh? Eugene dropped out?" Helga questioned curiously.

"Yeah, he wasn't too comfortable with the fact that there was a kissing scene." Arnold explained, leaving out the rest of the reason.

"Figured as much. Oh well, look who's going to get stuck getting a kiss planted on him!"

"I don't mind Helga, I mean we...we're friends, right?"

"Well doi, of course we are. Last time I checked."

"And we did kiss a few times...right?"

"Y-Yeah, we did, I guess."

"So, I guess in a way it'll be easier to handle than if it were another boy."

"You're smart, hair boy, looks like you DO have a brain in that strange-shaped head of yours!" Helga teased, lightly tapping his head with her fist.

"Very funny." Arnold chuckled and smiled. "So, do you want to come over to my house to rehearse for a while?"

"You sure?" Helga raised one side of her eyebrow. "Don't you have better things to do?"

Arnold shook his head a little, with a smile. "I never have anything better to do than hang out with you." He blushed slightly, but kept his smile.

Helga blushed then too, but smiled greatly. "Awww, that's sweet. But seriously, is that okay? I mean, you're sure you don't have something much better to do?" She put her hands on her hips.

Arnold blinked in surprise. "No, Helga. I really don't have any plans." He offered a smile again.

Helga softened then, and smiled. "Okay... Whatever blows your kilt up, Football Head." She added with a slight smirk.

"It's a shirt, Helga."

"What is?"

"My so called 'kilt'."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Are you really sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Helga."

"Are you really, really sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent sure that that plaid skirt looking thing you're wearing is not a kilt?"

"I'm not Scottish, Helga." He smiled in amusement.

"That's interesting, Arnold, but don't change the subject. Face it. It's a kilt."

"Shirt."

"Kilt."

"Shirt."

"Kilt."

"Shirt."

"Kilt."

Arnold leaned into her face then as they walked with half-lidded eyes and his arms crossed over his chest. "Are you sure about that, Helga?"

"Uh... doi." She answered back, leaning forward slightly into his face too, challenging.

Arnold smirked. "Are you really sure?"

"Yeah."

"Are you really, really sure?"

"I'm as sure as your hat is blue, the sun is hot, and the concrete is an ugly gray."

"Are you really, really, really sure?" He asked, leaning so close that their noses were touching, and not even realizing that they'd stopped walking.

Helga squinted her eyes at him, pressing her nose harder into his. "Well... I guess I'll never actually know for sure unless you show me..." She smirked.

Arnold squinted his eyes at her again, before leaning out of her personal space completely and throwing his script onto the ground. "Fine." He stated firmly, already beginning to take his sweater off.

Helga smirked, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back on the building behind her, and watching in amusement as he lifted his sweater off completely. He held it in one hand then, spreading his arms out to her to show that he was indeed wearing a long sleeved, button up, plaid shirt. "Is this enough proof for you, Helga?"

Helga observed him in his shirt, the smirk still plastered onto her face. "I had no idea it would be this easy to get a guy to strip for me for free." She shook her head in mock-amazement.

Arnold blushed heavily then, mouth slightly agape in shock.

"You're too much, Arnold. Of COURSE I knew it was just a plaid shirt that's too long for you!" Helga laughed then, holding her stomach. "Okay, maybe the first time you started wearing it way back when, I was thrown off, but you know me, just teasing you about almost everything! But still, thank you for stripping for me. But you're not going to take off THAT shirt, are you?"

"N-No!" Arnold blushed, and put his sweater back on and picked up his script. "Besides, I was just playing along with you, making sure that you were paying attention, that's all."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you are a lousy liar who lies?"

"Well...yeah..." Arnold looked down at his shoes sheepishly.

Helga giggled and then went back over to him, throwing her arm around his shoulders as they started walking again. "Well Arnold my man, you are."

With a soft blush, he just looked at her and gave a smile. "I guess I had that coming, didn't I?"

"Darn tooting you did. So, we going to head back and rehearse this son of a chimp?"

"Yeah, sure. You can even stay for dinner if you want to."

"Stay for dinner? Ooh, and next you'll be asking me to sleep over, to sleep on your comfy couch that Geraldo likes to sleep on when he's over. Well Arnold, aren't we daring!"

Arnold's cheeks pinkened at the idea of her staying over the night. It wasn't very heard of to have a boy and a girl, especially at their young age, to have sleepovers. It happened of course, but it was just a different concept than the usual sleepovers to take place between two boys and two girls. It was a shocking idea, and his stomach filled with butterflies, it was nerve-wracking.

At the same time, it did sound like a lot of fun. An entire night of them having fun together just the two of them. Watching movies, playing games, eating junk food until they wanted to throw up, talking about random things, playing video games, chatting it up with his grandparents and the boarders, and then exchanging light conversation while they lay in their respective sleeping spots, maybe telling scary stories before going to sleep.

He enjoyed spending time with her immensely, so who was to say that a sleepover would be no different than what they did together, aside from going to sleep and waking up in each other's presence?

"Well Helga, if you ever wanted to spend the night, why not? I mean... you know, I know that boys and girls don't often have sleepovers, especially at our age, but if we ever wanted to, I don't see why we can't."

She stared down at him, wide-eyed. She'd just been joking about them having sleepovers, despite that deep down she would have loved nothing more than to spend an entire night with her beloved, but to actually go through with it? He wasn't serious. And yet he was. He'd never joke about that kind of thing.

"So, let me get this straight, you actually wouldn't mind if we actually had a sleepover? You and I? Just us? Your place?" Helga pointed to him, then herself, then toward the direction of his home.

"No, it'd be pretty fun. But if you're not comfortable with that, it's no problem, we don't have to-"

"When do we initiate operation sleep away?"

"W-Wait, what?"

"I said, when do we have our own little sleepover?" Helga reiterated and rolled her eyes playfully. "Like you said football head, who says a boy and a gal, two _buddies_ like you and I, can't have a sleepover if they wanted to? Thing is, I'd kinda have to tell Bob and Miriam I'm sleeping at Phoebe's, but eh, no problem there. Bob would flip if he knew I was sleeping at a boy's house. Other than that, I'm all good. Besides, I always carry some spare stuff in my bag in case I end up going to Pheebs' place. So, if we were to have a sleepover like, right tonight, we'd be ready and prepared. You'd just have to lend me something to sleep in."

"Well, um...sure Helga, we could have a sleepover tonight if you want." Arnold managed and smiled. "It's Friday, we wouldn't have to worry about getting up so early tomorrow for school, and we could stay up late, and we'd have more time to rehearse. So, sure. If you want to sleep over tonight, it sounds good. We don't have any plans, so my grandparents won't mind."

Helga blinked, unable to believe her luck today. First Arnold getting the role of Romeo, getting invited over to his house to rehearse and even stay for dinner, and now a SLEEPOVER?

_Whatever I did to deserve this...I must have done something right. _She marvelled inwardly.

"Well, sure, okay. I mean, you know, whatever floats your boat."

"Don't you mean whatever blows my kilt up?" Arnold asked in dry amusement.

Helga smirked at him then, the arm still around his shoulders tightening slightly as she pointed at him in triumph. "So you admit it's a kilt!"

Arnold shook his head then. "No!" He composed himself then. "...Haven't we already gone through this?" He rubbed his eye, looking at her.

She looked off into the distance in mock-thought, before looking back at him with her unibrow up. "I think you may be right, Sunny."

Arnold snickered a little, as they continued walking down the sidewalk towards his home. After a few more moments, Arnold blinked and looked over at her with an eyebrow raised. "Helga, you know you still have your arm around my shoulders."

"Huh?" Helga looked over at him, before blinking in comprehension and instantly bringing her arm back to her side with a soft blush on her cheeks. "Oh... Sorry..."

Arnold blushed a little too, locking his hands behind his back. "I-It's okay, Helga." He mentally cursed himself for even bringing it up. He liked having her arm around him quite a bit, but had just been making an observation more than anything. He was surprised, but he didn't want to read too into it. He cleared his throat then. "So..." He stopped walking then, smiling. "We're here."

Helga stopped also, looking up at the boarding house before hesitantly following him as he walked up the steps to the door. She gulped at seeing his hand settle on the doorknob, feeling herself unworthy to be in his sanctary.

He opened the door then, Helga right behind him with wide, unsure eyes, but as soon as a flurry of cats and dogs and who knew what else (She could've sworn she saw a squirrel) stampeded out of the house, she screamed a little as she felt herself tripping backwards. Arnold's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him, as the stampede of animals continued. Once they were all out, Arnold breathed out a sigh of relief, but his breath soon returned sharply, and caught in his throat when he realized he was holding Helga very close, and she had her arms around his neck. He shifted his eyes to look straight at her, and found two, wide blue ones staring back, equally shocked. His hand that was still gripping the door handle tightened, and he stiffened in his spot, feeling her tense up too. She quickly flew backward then, away from him, as she dusted off imaginary dirt from her dress with all her focus. "G-Geez, Football Head, what w-was that?"

Arnold let out the breath he'd been holding, a strong blush on his cheeks as he opened the door a bit further so they could enter. "O-Oh, that was just-"

"Eleanor!"

The two kids jumped at the unexpected exclamation then, their eyes snapping to the direction they'd heard it come, as their eyes came to rest on Gertie standing there with a large grin on her wrinkled face. She ran forward, and grabbed up Helga in a hug. "Oh, Eleanor Roosevelt! It's been TOO long!"

Helga gasped at being picked up, and looked over at an equally surprised Arnold still standing at the door with his eyes wide, looking back at her. Once she felt her shock finally dissolve, she instantly shoved the old woman off of her and gawked at her, her hand still extended outward to keep her at bay. "Okay, what the-"

"Pookie! Let that poor girl go!" Phil stepped out onto the porch, his hands resting on his bony hips.

"Duly noted, General!" Gertie gave a salute. "Come in, come in, Eleanor, how rude of me!" She took Helga's hand and pulled her inside. "Everyone, inside now! Lady Roosevelt herself as come! We must be presentable! Oh, I know! I'd better prepare dinner! Tonight we feast!" She skipped off to the kitchen, singing a tune to herself.

"Crazy old bird..." Phil said, shaking his head with a loving smile. "So short man, can't get enough of your little friend here, huh?"

Arnold's eyes widened and his cheeks turned bright red. "Grandpa!"

"That's exactly what I keep telling him!" Helga informed the older man, laughing. "I'm starting think he likes me or something! So anyway Gramps, you're gonna have to put up with me tonight, your dear little grandson invited me to sleep over, so yeah, just thought I'd tell you."

"Hey, the more the merrier!" Phil laughed, jerking his thumb toward Helga as he looked at Arnold with a grin. "Ah yeah, I sure like this one, short man! Don't you let her get away now!"

"Grandpa! We...we're going to...rehearse for the school play in my room."

"Oooh! A school play! Well why didn't you say so?"

"Eh, you know, it's a play. We're doing _Romeo and Juliet_, and Arnold's Romeo, I'm Juliet."

"Ha ha, sounds like fun! Well you two go get your lines going, we'll call you when dinner's ready!" Phil said, and winked at them.

"Lead the way, football head." Helga smirked lightly at how her poor friend was pretty embarrassed now.

"Sure Helga." He managed, and led them upstairs.

They went up to his room, shutting the door behind them, and Arnold took his remote and flipped the couch out from the wall. Helga put her bag down and sat on the couch, stretching out on it happily.

"Aaahh...nothing beats comfort! So then Arnoldo, what say we get started with rehearsing, we've got a lot of lines, considering we're the lead roles. Don't want to let everyone down, do you?"

"No, I wouldn't want to do that." Arnold said, taking his script. "Okay, where do you want to start?"

"Hmmm..." Helga took her script out of her bag. "I say we try to the death scene. Start off on your cue after Romeo killed Paris." She lay on the couch on her back, playing dead.

"Okay." Arnold turned to the appropriate page and cleared his throat. "_I'll bury____thee in a triumphant grave; A grave? O no! A lantern, slaughter'd youth, for here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence full of light. A lightning before death: O, how may I call this a lightning? O my love! My wife!Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty. And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace! And, lips, O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss. A dateless bargain to engrossing death! Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on  
The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! Here's to my love!_"

He pantomimed drinking out of a goblet to serve as Romeo drinking the poison.

"_O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die._" Arnold frowned then, staring at the script. "Wait."

Helga cracked one eye open. "What is it, football head? We ain't got all night...oh wait, we do. But seriously, something wrong there?"

"This part doesn't make sense." Arnold explained. "I mean, Romeo says 'Thus with a kiss, I die' and then he dies."

"Well, yeah... He kind of tries to kiss Juliet but then dies, I guess."

"But that doesn't make sense. If he wants to kiss Juliet before he dies, wouldn't he try to do that instead of finishing his thought?"

"Arnoldo, Pheebs said we're doing an abridged version of the play, it's a lot longer, about three hours, and ours is an hour and a half.There's more dialogue and speeches, and there are actually five kisses, so they cut all but the final kiss, because we're young and all, you know." Helga explained. "Never mind it, just go with it. Kiss my hand or something if that makes you feel any better."

Arnold looked down at his script unsurely. "Well... Okay, I guess..." 'I can always ask Mr. Simmons about that later.' He thought, before clearing his throat and repeating his line quickly, "O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die." He grabbed her limp hand then, and gave it a gentle kiss, before leaning back up and making a small anguished sound, and finally just falling straight away onto the floor.

Helga opened her eyes then, and informed him quick, looking down at her script, "Um, this would be where the friar guy comes in... and then I'd say, uh..." Her eyes scanned the page, and once finding her part, she quickly cleared her throat and said, "O comfortable friar! where is my lord? I do remember well where I should be, and there I am. Where is my Romeo? And then Friar tells me that my husband is dead, and then I say..." She cleared her throat again, reciting dramatically, "Go, get thee hence, for I will not away." She stood from the couch then, and sat down beside Arnold on the floor, gazing down at him with worry as she recited from her script, "What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end: O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips; Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make die with a restorative." She stopped then, her bottom lip twitching slightly as she gulped and looked down at him again. "Um... this is the part where I'm supposed to, uh, kiss you..."

Arnold swallowed, cracking his eyes open to look at her. "Uh..." Was all he could manage, his heart was pounding so hard.

Helga stared down at her script, luckily not noticing his completely pinkened face. "I, um... Do you think I should kiss you? I-I mean, it might be good to practice it, b-but..." She gulped a little, looking down at him again, her own face quite pink as well. "Then again, we've already kissed before, so maybe we've had e-enough practice all on our own... heh, heh, heh..." She glanced away.

Arnold laughed a little nervously after her, feeling like his heart was going to burst. "M-Maybe..." He gulped again, before finally managing to make eye contact with her, even if it was just for a second. "B-But it... couldn't hurt..." He laughed nervously again, shrugging his shoulders. After all, what kind of lovesick boy would he be if he just let an opportunity like this pass?

Helga looked down at him, still looking unsure, though she was quite thankful he didn't seem all that opposed to the idea of kissing her again. But she was still feeling a little scared of kissing him again, because what if she got carried away again and her secret ended up getting let out and-'Oh, who am I kidding? Like I'm really going to let an opportunity like this go by!' She took a quick breath and then grabbed him by his head, pulling it up quick to meet with her lips in a tender, yet quite passionate kiss.

"MMMM!" Arnold tensed, having not expected her to suddenly grab him like this at all. His face turned scarlet, and his heart nearly flew out of his chest, though after only a few moments it finally processed with him that Helga was kissing him, and his lips took on a mind of their own (They'd been doing that a lot lately). He kissed her back, and allowed his eyes to flutter shut, letting himself relax and even melt slightly in her kiss... He wanted to reach up and hold her or play with her hair or SOMETHING, but he knew he was supposed to be acting like he was dead, so he forced his hands to stay in their respective floppy spots on the floor. It was probably for the best, though, since he was pretty sure that if he touched her at that moment, he would die. "Mmmm..." He sighed contently against her mouth, feeling his stomach fill with butterflies and his heart flutter wildly in his chest.

Helga held back a moan at the feeling of his sigh, but failed in stopping herself from kissing him a bit harder and holding onto his head just a bit tighter, even taking the liberty of stroking his hair back a moment, affectionately.

Arnold just held back a shudder at the feeling, squeezing his eyes shut a bit tighter in passion...

"Hey, Shortman! How are things going up-Gadzooks! What's goin' on here?" Phil had suddenly thrown the door open, only to find both children laying on the floor, kissing and even moaning every few seconds.

Helga instantly flew off of Arnold and almost all the way across the room, feeling like a lightning bolt hit her. She attempted to catch her breath, though was finding the task to be pretty hard, all things considered...

Arnold's eyes, likewise, had flown open and he'd jolted upward, now staring up at his grandpa with eyes the size of dinner plates. "Grandpa!" He exclaimed in shock and utter panic.

Phil just rubbed his eyes a moment, before looking back down at his grandson and then over at Helga on the other side of the room, still looking quite mortified, before once again looking down at his grandson. He blinked. "Arnold, why I..." He trailed off, his face looking perplexed.

There was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, a giant, proud smile blossomed on Phil's face, and he cackled spiritedly, surprising both kids. "Well, what do ya know? I didn't know ya had it in ya, Shortman!" He walked over to give the boy still on the ground a firm pat on the back, before straightening up again and grinning down at him again. "I knew the two of ya had something goin' on between ya, but I didn't think it had gone this far just yet!" He laughed again, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye after a few seconds and still grinning quite proudly at his grandson. "So I'm guessing she knows all about you lik-"

"G-G-G-Grandpa!" Arnold stood up in a flash, feeling utterly petrified as he quickly grabbed his grandfather by the wrist and began towards the door with conviction. "Could I-I have a word with you in private?" He looked to the old man rather desperately, still attempting to drag him out of the room and as far away from Helga as humanly possible.

Phil stumbled slightly after the boy, his grin dropping at the boy's obvious embarrassment and desperation. He stopped, standing his ground, and looking between both a still slightly wide-eyed Helga and his sweating-out-buckets grandson. "Now, Arnold, I can understand being a little embarrassed about all this, but I-"

"Grandpa, PLEASE?" Arnold moaned desperately, absolutely hating where this seemed to be going.

Phil just blinked in surprise at his grandson, before deciding to have mercy on the boy and complying. "Well, alright, Arnold. We can talk in private, if you really want, I guess."

Arnold released a breath of relief, looking over to Helga for a second to tell her, "We'll be back in just a minute, Helga. I just need to explain to my grandpa what was going on. Will you be okay up here by yourself?" He looked at her sincerely a moment with just a touch of concern in his eyes.

Helga blinked a few times, her complete and utter mortification passing after knowing that Arnold was going to straighten things out. She blinked once more, before that usual sarcastic aura came back to her and she said with a slight scoff, "It's a bedroom, Football Head, not a construction site. I'll be fine. You just go ahead... explain." Now it was her turn to look at him just a bit desperately, a blush on her face as she recalled just what exactly they'd just been caught in the act of doing.

Arnold smiled as reassuringly, and yet very shakily, back at her as he could. "S-Sure, Helga."

And so, he proceeded to drag his slightly perplexed grandfather out the door...

-~~- 

Now in a totally secluded area of the house (The bathroom), Arnold let out a breath and finally just turned to his grandpa, beginning in his explanation sternly, "Okay, Grandpa, let me explain. Yes, we were kissing, but no, we were not doing it because we're suddenly a couple." He blushed at the word, but continued nonetheless, "We were just rehearsing for the play, like we told you. Obviously, since it's 'Romeo and Juliet,' there was a kissing scene in it, and we, uh, 'decided' it might be best that we rehearsed that too so it'll seem convincing. So no, she doesn't know that I, um..." He gulped, unable to take it anymore as he looked away and mumbled out nervously with a small blush, "...that I like her."

Phil just blinked, seeming to process what he was saying and yet that bit of confusion in his eyes remained, and he scratched his head in bewilderment. "Well, I guess that makes sense... But what in blue blazes were you two doing on the floor practically laying on top of each other?"

Arnold's blush only grew, and he still hadn't managed to make eye contact with his grandpa again. "The scene takes place when I'm 'dead,' so I was laying on the ground. That's when the kiss is supposed to take place, Grandpa... on the floor." He rubbed the back of his neck a little in discomfort.

Phil blinked again, before an ever so slightly annoyed look came to his eyes as he stared down at his grandson. "Well, then what are ya waiting for, Shortman? Acting or not acting, that sure was SOME kiss! What more proof do ya need that she likes ya? She was moaning for lands sakes!"

Arnold sat down on the toilet seat, looking up at his grandpa as he ran a hand through his hair in slight frustration. "You know I can't, Grandpa. She's just a really wonderful actress. And I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"Oh, come on, Arnold. The relationship has already been tainted with romantic feelings. All that's left is for one of ya to make the move. And you'll never live it down if SHE'S the one who has to do it first..." He looked at him a bit more intensely with squinted, serious eyes, like he was speaking from personal experience or something. "Trust me!"

"I don't know, Grandpa... These feelings I have for her just keep getting more and more confusing." He sighed, resting his head in his hands with his elbows propped up on his knees. "Gerald has been calling me out on them a lot too. He keeps saying I'm falling more and more in love with her every second..." His face flushed, and he focused his eyes on the floor.

"And what's so bad about that? You've already admitted that you think you're in love with the girl."

"Yeah, I know, Grandpa. But there was always a difference between 'thinking' I'm in love with her and 'knowing' I'm in love with her... and I've just been thinking that I..." He gulped, sitting up straight again and biting his lip.

"...That you really do?" His grandfather supplied for him, his eyes twinkly slightly.

Arnold swallowed once more, glancing up at his grandpa again and feeling his heart pound in his chest as he admitted... "Yes, I think-I-I... I KNOW I am..." He glanced down again.

"And what does this have to do with anything exactly, Shortman?"

"It's just... Like I said, there's a difference between 'thinking' and 'knowing,' and just like there's a difference between them, there's also a pretty substantial difference between just 'liking' a person, and even just 'like-liking' a person... and even though I HAVE been thinking that she maybe COULD like me like me just a little bit... Well, how does me being in love with her fit into all this? How could we possibly start a relationship based on feelings that were so unevenly matched?" He sighed miserably, glancing up at his grandpa, only this time with just a bit of pleading in his gaze and voice as he asked, "What do you think I should do, Grandpa?"

"Well short man, you're gonna have to take action sometime!" Phil told him, and scratched his chin. "But not much you can do at the moment, and I guess you're not ready to just pop out and say 'I love you! Marry me!'" He jumped around with his arms spread out.

"Grandpa!" Arnold's entire face turned scarlet.

"Ah, you get the point, Arnold!" Phil stopped his dance-like craze and stood straight. "So what you're gonna have to do for now is take it slow, get her warmed up to the idea of you two dating! You went on a date once before, right? So, just do it again!"

"W-Well...I-I guess I could try...but, you are right Grandpa, I know if I wait forever I might not have a chance with her. I really want her to know I...love her, but like I said, I'm scared of ruining our friendship, I wouldn't want to lose her. I really value her friendship, having her in my life like this has really been great! Really great..." A dreamy smile came to his face. "I never knew what I was missing, and now...wow."

Phil chuckled at his grandson's dreamy state. "You're gettin' a little lost on the moon there, short man!"

"Oh! Right, right." Arnold snapped out of his reverie, and cleared his throat. "So, what were you...saying?"

"Well Arnold, you'll just have to gradually keep seein' the girl, go out more, and hey, I'll even raise your allowance a bit so you can take her out for some _real_ dates." Phil gave him a wink, and laughed at Arnold's blush. "You said it yourself, short man! She definitely has a thing for you, even I can tell! So why not spend more time with her, then ask her out on a date, a real date, and just let it all escalate from there! When you're ready to just tell her how ya feel, short man, you're gonna know! Exactly how I felt when I realized I loved your grandma and couldn't hold it in any longer!"

"Really, Grandpa?" Arnold smiled at that, looking a bit more relieved.

"Yep! And remember, the worst she can say is no."

A stab of dread came to his heart. "I just hope she doesn't, Grandpa."

"I'd have to be a monkey's uncle if she did! So just hang in there short man, go with the flow and do what you can to win her over in small ways, maybe see how she feels about it all, and then you'll know where to go! And remember one last thing!"

"What's that?"

"Never eat raspberries! Now come on, don't keep the little lady waiting! She's a guest, after all!" Phil opened the bathroom door and winked at his grandson. "Dinner should be ready in about an hour, so you two have fun!" He left the bathroom to leave Arnold there with his thoughts.

_I guess Grandpa's right...maybe I just need to go with the flow, spend more time with Helga, maybe go on an actual date with her, try to win her over in a small way...and then, wait, tell her how I feel? ...Well, if he says I'll know when the time is right, then...we'll see?_

Shaking his head, Arnold left the bathroom and went back upstairs to his room. He found Helga sitting on his couch, with her script in hand, but she was panting a bit, her chest heaving, as if she had been running a bit.

"Sorry about that, Helga." Arnold said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I uh, managed to explain everything, so it's all good now."

"G-Great! Glad to hear it then." Helga said between pants, and looked away nervously. She'd been on his bed, laying there and burying her face in his pillow to inhale his intoxicating scent. It wasn't until she'd heard him coming up the stairs that she hurriedly dashed across his room to get her script and then sit on his couch as if she'd been there the whole time.

"Okay, and um...you know Helga, if you're feeling uncomfortable about the kiss we-"

"Forget about it, Football Head. Like I said, we've kissed before, and just now...like I said, it'll get us more prepared for it! Heh heh heh..." The young girl tugged at her collar, blushing a bit.

Did she have any idea how adorable she was when she was all flustered and blushy? Arnold resisted the urge to say or do something to make her blush as he tried to regain his cool. "Yeah, that's true. And you know, we still can...w-whenever! You know, rehearse it, and all."

"O-Okay then." Helga rolled her script up a little tighter, unable to stop thinking about the kiss from earlier. Oh how _wondrous_ it was! Especially that he responded whole-heartedly! Did it mean he really liked kissing her? Or was he just being nice? But kissing was intimate and sweet, shared between people who loved each other, wasn't it? Arnold may have had a hard time saying no, but he did have SOME of a backbone when someone did something he didn't like. And kissing... well, maybe he just felt that kissing a best friend who happened to be of the opposite sex was fine as long as they were both consenting? But that still left the question WHY he consented to their kissing.

"Okay." Arnold sat down beside her, retrieving his script from the floor.

"Cool." Helga murmured, looking away from him.

"Mm-hmm." Arnold agreed, blushing a bit.

The two sat there, scripts in their hands, glancing away from each other, pink tints to their cheeks, and not speaking a word. Arnold even inconspicuously scooted closer to her on the couch, going slowly and carefully, unsure of what he was doing or even why he was doing that. If she noticed, she wasn't saying anything.

"...Helga?"

"...Uh, yeah?"

"Are you...you know, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Fine, Football Head. Why wouldn't I be?" Helga managed a smile. "Just uh, you know! Adjusting, I guess."

"Oh, okay." Arnold rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I am, too. But um, it's been great. You know, that we can just hang out like this and have fun together, and even...when we...um...you know...kiss. It's been a lot of fun."

A soft silence passed them before she let down her walls and smiled genuinely at him, that made his heart burst with happiness. "Me too, Arnold."

A smile of his own came to his face, his eyes half-lidded. How this girl was so wonderful in her own ways and how he didn't even notice it before was beyond him. And her scent of vanilla was just plain intoxicating and made him just want to smell her hair!

'_I really do love her._' Arnold thought, feeling his gaze become more lovesick. '_I've never felt that way about a girl before, and then again Helga isn't like other girls, and that's probably why she's so special somehow. I really really really like her, I love her. I want to be with her. If she'd let me. I wonder if I'm right, if she does like me like me a bit...__ '_

Her azure eyes were looking to him, with curiosity and wonder, while also with genuine happiness, that really just proved she was being truthful, she was happy that they were at this point in their lives, true friends. Heck, you could say she was his best friend who was actually a girl. Oh, he wanted to drown in her eyes, those electric blue eyes that he could never stop staring into. How had he never noticed how beautiful they were?

She leaned closer to him then, and his heart jumped as he did the same, leaning closer to her. He could feel his finger tips touching hers, her breath on his lips, and could smell her vanilla scent a lot better now.

Finally, it was as if they couldn't take the anticipation anymore, and both simultaneously leaned the rest of the way to close the gap between them, their lips coming together once more.

A sigh escaped through his nose, and before he could do anything else, her hands came to his shoulders, close to his neck, as she kissed him tenderly, but with passion, a lot like before, and it took him by surprise, his eyes going wide. But he melted into the kiss and kissed her back, his eyes closing on their own accord. She moaned into the kiss and came closer to him, making his stomach fill with butterflies. She did sometimes moan when they'd kiss, but it was definitely getting to him now!

It was still wrong. Friends didn't kiss. Friends didn't make out. Friends just didn't do this sort of thing! Why were they doing it? The answer was obvious to each other, since they were on the prowl for one another, but on an external note, neither of them knew why the other was kissing them.

It was pretty strange and almost silly. Comical, even.

The kiss grew more intense, Arnold found his hands going to her pigtails to feel the soft tresses of her hair, and Helga brought her arms around his torso, bringing the smitten boy closer to her. Amidst it all, Helga's hairties were pulled and her hair was released from their hold, much to her surprise, but it only seemed to elate her even more.

They kissed some more, pretty much lost in each other, before they parted, and stared at each other in wonder, panting lightly.

"...Did you...just pull out my hair?" Helga blinked.

Arnold came to see that the ties had fallen to the floor, and blushed a bit. "...Sorry, Helga."

She smiled. "Ah, no worry. You like it when I wear my hair down...maybe I'll treat you to it, today. We have all night."

He blushed harder, nodding a bit, realizing once again that this was indeed a sleepover. His first sleepover with a girl. "Y-Yeah...um...so...d-do you want to rehearse? We have a lot of lines, don't we?"

"Yep." Helga picked up her script. "Shall we then?"

Arnold smiled, picking up his own script. "Sure, Helga. Where should we begin now?"

' 'Begin now'? Why the heck would we switch parts when this part is the only one where I get to have the pleasure of kissing your intoxicatingly soft mouth, my little football head?' Helga thought with a small pout to herself, flipping through her script, pretending to contemplate his question.

Meanwhile, Arnold just gazed at her, waiting patiently for her to answer. He would wait forever if it meant he'd get to just sit here and gaze at her...

Finally, Helga seemed to find a part that actually captured her interest, and she turned to Arnold with a smile, barely even noticing the strange dazed look on his face at all. "Hey, how about the balcony scene? All it is really is you groveling below me about how awesome I am." She laughed a little, though it was much more playful than cruel like it once was from before their first date quite some time ago.

Arnold sighed lightly, managing to come back to reality at her words and to turn his dreamy smile into a more casual, happy one... after all, her laugh always was just very nice to hear. "Okay, Helga. Sounds good. It IS an important scene."

"Exactly! Now on the ground, Romeo!"

Arnold laughed a bit at her enthusiasm, before flipping his script to the part, and then getting down on the ground in front of her on his knees. To his surprise, she completely stood up on the couch, her shoes now tossed aside as she was now just in her socks (Hey, she was going to be here all night, might as well get comfortable), and smirking down at him. He blinked up at her, not sure what to say, to which her smirk only got broader. "Well, come on, Football Head, get to the poetry already! You KNOW how I just love poetry." She laughed again, though this time it ended up being quite a bit lighter than before... even almost like a giggle. Seeing Arnold on the floor before her, about to start reciting beautiful love poetry to her couldn't help but get to her a little bit, she guessed.

Arnold smiled again at the lovely sound, allowing his gaze to turn dreamy since he knew she'd just think he was acting. He glanced down at his script, reciting out the first part up to her, "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Her eyes in Heaven, would through the airy region stream so bright, that birds would sing and think it were not night." Though he wasn't always the most poetic person and he barely even knew what he'd just said, he was perfectly aware that he'd just said that her eyes were beautiful, in a sense. And he'd been perfectly sincere on that part, since he really did think her eyes were beautiful... He ended his words with a soft sigh, staring up at her.

Judging by that smug look on her face (That she was desperately trying to keep on to mask the absolutely giddy, lovesick one), what he'd just said must have been pretty wonderful (He knew that she probably understood every word that came out of his mouth, even if he didn't).

Helga just full on giggled now, not being able to hold it back after all THAT. She cleared her throat quickly, though, and said her line, "Ay me!"

Arnold glanced down at his script again, reading his lines and then looking up at her and reciting as best as he could, "She speaks! Oh, speak again, bright angel!"

Helga recited dramatically again, barely even glancing at her script, "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

Arnold smiled, reciting back, "Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?"

Helga went on then, reciting down to him, "'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that name which is no part of thee take all myself."

Arnold barely managed to stop himself from letting out a very shaky breath out of both embarrassment and bliss. She'd just called him 'perfect'... Well, maybe not HER her, but 'Juliet' her certainly had. He hadn't understood ALL of that, but he'd understood more than he'd expected to. Maybe it was just because she was saying it. He'd found himself pretty much hanging off of her every word nowadays.

But he felt he really needed a break from all this... He just wasn't sure he could take her saying such loving things about him for very much longer. He'd end up jumping on her or something, and she'd be so freaked out that she'd run away and never come back... That would be AWFUL! He shuddered, not just because that idea was so horrible sounding but also because she was still 'pretending' to look lovingly down at him. Oh, he just couldn't handle this right now. He cleared his throat, standing up suddenly. "Um, Helga, I know this is kind of random, but... Could we take a break? I know we just started but I-I just... Well, dinner should be ready soon, I think, and I really did just want to talk to you like f-friends for a little while before dinner. And after dinner we'll only have a few hours before we have to go to sleep... and since this is our first sleepover together, I just..."

"Speak no more, my little football headed Romeo, I completely understand. You'd like to spend more time with 'Helga' and a little less time with 'Juliet,' since tonight apparently holds sentimental value for you." She rolled her eyes playfully down at him, stepping off of his couch to stand near him. "It's no problem. We've got plenty of time to rehearse, but only one night to sleepover with each other. What do ya say we break out a couple of monster movies and gorge ourselves with popcorn and candy so we'll be too sick to eat dinner when it's ready?" She raised one side of her eyebrow at him with a smirk.

Arnold couldn't help but give a laugh and nodded. "Whatever you say, Helga. We can do that. You can pick the movies, I'll go get the popcorn."

"All right! I'm in master control! Now off you go, slave!"

They both laughed and Arnold left his room to go downstairs. The moment he was gone, Helga happily squealed and danced around his room happily at having been able to kiss him not just once but _twice_! She fell onto his bed, laying comfortably for a moment and then smelling his pillow.

"Oh _Arnold..._my love, my joy, my sweet soul...! What a privilege it is to kiss your perfect your lips, and with you kissing me back, and kissing you _twice_ in the same day! Ohhh my beloved, I hope our rehearsals together will consist of more kissing and exchanges of such beautiful, poetic words!"

Finally getting her swooning out of her system, Helga got back up and went to go select a movie for them to watch. For a moment she recalled their date, when they had come back to his place and had watched a movie together, having even ended up cuddling on the couch, and even falling asleep! She wondered, would she be that lucky this time too? To be able to snuggle with him yet again? To feel the warmth and comfort of his embrace? Or simply just his arm around her shoulders?

She hoped so, and looked through the movies, trying to focus, and figure out what they could watch.

XXX

"Breakin' out some popcorn, eh, short man?" Phil remarked as Arnold was making some popcorn in the microwave.

"Yeah, Grandpa, Helga wanted to watch a movie and so I'm making popcorn for it." Arnold explained. "Just taking a little break from rehearsing for now."

"No kidding, it's your first sleepover with that girl, after all!" Phil sat down at the table to read the newspaper. "So, any luck, if you know what I mean?" He cast a wink to his grandson and chuckled.

Arnold blushed heavily. "Grandpa! We-we were...rehearsing a bit, that's all." Luckily for him, the popcorn was done, so he took out a large bowl from a cupboard and removed the popped bag from the microwave, opening it up and pouring it the popped kernels into ti.

"There's somethin' you're not telling me, short man." Phil said knowingly. "I was your age once too, ya know! So come on, tell your ol' Grandpa what's on your mind."

"It's nothing, Grandpa, don't worry about it." Arnold said quickly, searching for candies that they could eat. "I uh...was just thinking of things, that's all."

"Arnold, I'm gonna be frank with you, you are one lousy liar!" Phil laughed.

"Look, Grandpa...can I talk to you about it later, maybe tomorrow after Helga goes home? I need to think about it more before I can...well, talk fully about it."

Phil nodded, going back to the newspaper. "Gotcha, Arnold! You and your little girlfriend have fun now!"

"We will," Arnold said, taking a few bags of candies and chocolate bars, and two bottles of Yahoo soda, managing to balance it all and pile some of them on top of the popcorn.

"Need help, short man?"

"No it's okay Grandpa, I've got it."

Phil chuckled to himself as Arnold left the kitchen, turning the page of the newspaper. "I'm such a wily old coot..."

"General Hong!" Gertie piped up as she came into the kitchen, wearing a Chinese dress, known as a Cheongsam that was bright blue, with her hair done in a bun with chopsticks holding it. "The Mongolians are coming! We must complete the barrier wall at once!"

"Anything you say, Pookie." Phil smiled, and went back to the paper.

XXX

Helga was already back on the couch, with two movies in hand, as Arnold came back with the food and drinks. She cast a playful smirk toward him, but her eyes were smiling. "About time you came back, Football Head."

"Sorry Helga, it took me a little while to find some things." Arnold came over to her, placing the goodies next to her on the couch. "What did you pick out to watch?"

"We've got all night, so here's two we can start with." Helga held them up. "_The Langoliers_, and _Monsters Creek_. We'll start with _The Langoliers, _since it's more of a mystery, psychological thriller and has only one scene with actual monsters, but it's gripping and a perfect warm up. It was also a TV mini-series, so it'll be a little longer. _Monsters Creek _is the big, scary, screaming, terrorizing stuff, we'll save that for last!"

Arnold grinned, taking the movies from her. "Sounds good to me, Helga. I'll go put it in. You saw _The Langoliers_?"

"No. I read the short story the movie's based on. I just saw one or two scenes of the mini series itself. But I know it's pretty good."

"Oh, okay, well it should be interesting to check out, I haven't seen it yet."

"Go put it in, you, no more stalling." Helga said playfully, taking a few bites of popcorn as she eagerly watched him put the movie in, happily anticipating the prospect of watching a movie with him yet again.

As the movie began playing, Arnold grabbed his remote off of his nightstand and dimmed the lights, and then walked back over to the couch and sat down next to Helga, the bowl of popcorn set between them so they could both reach it. Helga handed him one of the yahoo sodas and began looking through the few bags of candy he'd managed to carry in all by himself. She smirked at one of the bags, tossing one of the other ones over at Arnold. "Here, Football Head, you can have the sour balls. I'm going to live a little dangerously and go with some of these great fireballs..." She opened the bag up, already beginning to root through the bag as she commented, "It's a good thing you brought drinks."

Arnold laughed, setting his bag of candy beside himself on the couch for later. "Helga, I got a box of chocolate malts too, if you want something that won't be too hard on your mouth."

"Ohhhh no, Football Head, I'm going with the fireballs." She smirked, popping one into her mouth and beginning to suck on it. Almost immediately she grabbed her soda and took a big gulp, though she refused to spit out the fireball.

Arnold sighed, figuring it would be impossible to change her mind anyway, and just began eating some of the popcorn. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Good boy." Was all she could manage, her face was so red from the candy currently in her mouth.

Arnold just tried to hold back a laugh.

This went on for a good portion of the movie, until finally the fireball in Helga's mouth was completely dissolved and sucked away, and she drank another big gulp of her soda with a small sigh of relief to herself, happy it was over. She noticed Arnold's half-lidded gaze on her and she faked a cough, hoping he hadn't seen her sigh of relief. But despite her sudden 'coughing fit,' Arnold's half-lidded gaze didn't waver, and neither did that small and even slightly smug smile on his face. She cleared her throat, taking one more small sip of her soda before sitting it aside on the side table by the couch. "See, Football Head? NO piece of candy will ever best Helga G. Pataki." She stated with a smug grin on her face, not looking him in the eye.

Arnold just rolled his eyes a little with a small smile, and looked back at the movie. "Of course, Helga. I never doubted you for a minute."

"Of course you didn't." She stated once again, still trying to sound smug despite how desperately she wanted to just give in and laugh. She sunk further down into his couch, giggling very quietly to herself and behind a hand.

Arnold heard her giggle, but he didn't say anything. Just shook his head slightly to himself with an amused smile, all the while reaching a hand over absentmindedly to get another hand full of popcorn.

Helga seemed to have the same idea, though, because their hands brushed, and both of them snapped their heads around to look at each other at the unexpected pleasant shock they both felt from touching each other. It only took a moment for them to register what must have happened, and they both quickly pulled their hands away, their faces pink.

After a second of silence, Arnold cleared his throat a little and gestured for her to go first.

Still feeling incredibly nervous, she just grabbed some popcorn really quick and stuffed it in her mouth, looking away from him.

Arnold took his bit of popcorn then, and ate it, before taking a small sip of his drink, also looking away from her.

For a while they just watched the movie after that, both feeling a little awkward after that encounter, and also, secretly, quite giddy that they'd managed to make the other one blush.

-~~-

Quite some time later, the movie was getting close to the end, and they'd both pretty much finished off their popcorn. Now they were both just casually snacking on the chocolate malt balls, the bowl of popcorn sat on the floor away from them so they both had a little more space on the couch to relax.

Helga stretched on the couch, laying her hands behind her head as she watched the movie, and crossing her legs to get more comfortable.

Arnold just popped another chocolate ball into his mouth, occasionally glancing over at Helga. She had this small bit of chocolate on the side of her mouth and it was seriously bothering him. He wanted to wipe it away, but for fear of another awkward moment between them, he held back.

Suddenly, though, his grandpa's words from before rang through his mind, 'What you're gonna have to do for now is take it slow, get her warmed up to the idea of you two dating...'

He gulped, taking a moment to think on what to do... He didn't want to freak her out or anything, but at the same time, if he wanted her to warm up to the idea, then he was going to have to take some risks... And the opportunity to do so was staring him in the face now so... 'Okay, Arnold, just relax. There's gotta be an easier way to do this... But how am I supposed to-'

"Hey, Arnold, you, uh, think maybe we should, um... 'practice' a little more?" He suddenly heard Helga stutter out nervously beside him.

His eyes widened at her implication, and he swallowed. 'Huh?'

While Arnold was having these thoughts of what exactly to do, Helga was lost in some of her own thoughts, too... The music of the credits had started playing, and she'd taken the liberty of just turning the TV off completely with the remote. It had been quiet for a little while and she'd been feeling more and more nervous around him. Ever since that whole 'finger brushing' thing happening (again), she'd been feeling especially anxious next to him. She'd even made sure to smear some chocolate on her lips to see if she could get a reaction out of him... ANYTHING! But all he'd done was sit there and stare off into space, occasionally casting her a small glance. It was driving her crazy!

And so, in one more desperate attempt to get some more attention from him before she ended up exploding and just throwing him onto the ground, she'd heard herself ask him if they should practice some more... And she wasn't talking about the acting, and they both knew it...

Arnold gulped, barely managing to look at her as he muttered, "Huh?"

Helga just stuttered out once again, her face red and a hand going to her neck to rub the back of it awkwardly, "I-I just mean that we've still got some time before dinner, and I was thinking that since it really is such an important part of the play and since you said 'whenever,' I just th-thought that... maybe now would be a good time?" She gulped, thinking to herself, 'Yeah, I just thought it might be nice to make out with you again since I'm such a stinkin' basket case and can't handle touching your hand by accident without going completely berserk and tossing your poor little self against a wall so I can shove my tongue down your throat... Criminy, I'm nuts!'

"O-Oh..." Arnold came to realize what she was talking about, and blushed a bit. What brought this on? He didn't quite get why she was so nervous all of a sudden, or even why she was bringing this on. Still, did she mean what he thought she meant? "Well, if it would make things easier, Helga...I guess we could."

"Y-Yeah! It would! I uh...kinda get nervous on stage and always want to do perfectly well, but um...you know, if we were really comfortable with the whole scene and how it goes, i-it would really help!" Helga quickly covered, hoping it would come off as a good enough reason. 'And maybe by the time it's all over you'll be so charmed and smitten and want to go on a date with me again!' "Well! Before we do, Football Head, we can also practice on other scenes and then get to the last scene. Maybe you can finish groveling to me."

Arnold smiled and gave a little laugh her silly reference to the balcony scene. "Whatever you say, Helga. I mean, Juliet."

"Darn right, whatever I say. Let's get to it, _Romeo_."

To get warmed up and more in-character, they practised a few key scenes, including the balcony scene, so they would be more familiar with everything in the script. Arnold for a moment couldn't help but think what it would be like if they were using the actual unabridged version of the play, how long it would be! Good thing for editing it down for children! For a while they were having fun and getting to know the flow of the play a bit better. Helga even couldn't keep from laughing during their practice of the balcony scene at how silly it seemed, and pretty soon they were rolling around on the floor laughing their heads off at how silly it might've looked to their classmates.

Finally, came the death scene. The reason she suggested they practice. Especially one particular element.

"Go on, Arnold, I'm dead now." Helga lay on the couch again, her eyes all twisty and her tongue sticking out.

Arnold laughed, trying to concentrate but she was just too silly when she wanted to be. "H-Helga...that's not working!"

"Shut up, I'm having fun." She blew a raspberry and then lay on her back, closing her eyes.

"All right, here goes nothing."

Helga exhaled and waited as he recited his lines, obviously still reading off his script, but his words were sincere and his performance was getting better. She waited, waited until the moment he would take her hand and kiss it as a pseudo substitute for the actual moment of Romeo kissing Juliet before he dies. Her heart pounded and her insides were heated with anticipation that within a couple of minutes she could kiss him yet again! She just hoped she wouldn't lose herself during the play and end up exposing her secret.

Then again, this WAS a part of what it was all about, getting them comfortable with the moment so that it would look convincing to the audience and still be just fine between them. She just hoped it would all work out in the long run.

_Oh Arnold...how I wish you truly meant those beauteous poetic words you recite to me! How I wish you truly meant those sweet kisses you place upon me... How I wish you would fall madly for me..._ Helga thought, opening her eyes just ever so slightly so she could see what he was doing, and then closed them once again.

Arnold came to her then. "'And thus, with a kiss..."

But instead of kissing her hand like she expected, he leaned to her face and kissed her gently but tenderly on the cheek. Immediately her cheeks pinkened, ruining the comatose effect.

"...'I die.'" Once more he let out a soft agonized moan and then fell to the floor, playing dead.

_Oh my gosh! He kissed me on the cheek! Cheek! Why did he do that? Curse you Arnold, curse you and your wonderful lips, oh you angel! How I love you!_ Helga tried to keep her cool as she sat up a few moments later, reciting her own lines as if Friar Lawrence-who was going to be played by Stinky-were there, and then got off the couch to kneel beside his "dead" body, looking at her script every few moments as she went along.

This was it.

Helga looked down at him, studying his face...his sweet face, the very lips she longed to kiss, most especially since the first time they'd kissed, effectively making her desire them even more than she had before their first kiss. Exhaling lightly, hesitating a bit, she slowly leaned down toward him, touching her lips to his. She kept it gentle and tender, but hopefully enough to entice him a bit.

Arnold stayed as still as he could be, doing his best to play dead, and doing a pretty good job of it too... He was so stiff that if anyone was watching them kiss they'd think rigor mortis had already set in. But though his entire body was about as stiff as a board, his lips were trembling so bad that it was apparent from the moment her lips touched his that he was extremely nervous.

In an attempt to make him relax a bit more, she pressed herself further into him (She wasn't quite sure how this would make him any less nervous, but it was the only thing she could think of at the moment), and moaned very softly, hoping to ease his nerves.

Though her pressing herself closer to him and kissing him firmer only seemed to make him stiffen even more and cause his breath to catch in his throat, when she moaned, he got about as stiff as any 'alive' human being could possibly get... and then only a second after he melted into the kiss completely and made a small sound of satisfaction in the back of his throat.

They kissed for a little while longer, until finally Helga very slowly separated her lips from his (though she didn't let go of him or move away), and opened her eyes to stare at him in a small amount of wonderment (Though under the surface was about a boat load more of it). She watched as he opened his eyes then too, staring up at her with a strange expression she couldn't quite read.

They just stared at each other for a few seconds, before Helga released a small breath she hadn't quite realized she'd been holding, and asked softly, "Did I do alright?"

Arnold just stared at her a moment more, before letting out his own breath and breathing out with very dreamy eyes, "Perfect..."

She smiled ever so slightly, unable to stop herself from getting lost in his eyes...

The moment was dashed, though, when there was a sudden knock on the door, followed by Phil's voice calling, "Hey, kids, it's time for dinner! You two better get yourselves down here quick before Oskar stuffs it all down his throat..." They could hear him grumble something under his breath.

Arnold finally started breathing at a normal rate and sat up slightly, though Helga didn't quite let go of him, and he yelled back in a weak voice, "Y-Yeah, Grandpa... We'll be down in a minute!"

"Okay, Shortman!" They heard footsteps going down the stairs, getting fainter and fainter with each second...

The two kids just sat there, Arnold staring straight ahead, still with that unreadable expression (Or at least unreadable to Helga, as anyone else who saw it would almost immediately classify it as 'slightly dreamy' and 'very unsure'), and Helga just touching his arm lightly and trying to figure out what he was thinking exactly.

"Um..." Arnold began finally in a slightly stronger voice than before, licking his lips and still not looking her in the eye. "We should probably get down there..."

"Y-Yeah, you're right." Helga stuttered in a bit of a high-pitched voice, before standing up completely from the floor and dusting herself off even though she knew she wasn't dirty... it was more of a distraction from the very strange moment that had just gone on between them. Once finished with pretending to clean herself, she held out a hand for him so she could help him up.

He took it and she pulled him up, him now standing right in front of her.

Their hands lingered on each other's...

Arnold seemed to take in a bit of a shaky breath, and he hesitantly let his hand slip from her's, clearing his throat to try and move on from the awkward (and wonderful) moment. "Um... After you," He gestured to the door, not quite trusting himself just yet to walk over and open it for her for fear that his knees would give out on him.

Helga smiled a shaky smile, walking over to the door and opening it up, and beginning her descent down the stairs, not bothering to look behind herself to see if he was following (And plus, as soon as she'd turned around, the blush she'd been holding back had finally just burst into her face, and she didn't want him to see).

Arnold stood in the same spot a second, biting his lip, before he finally just took a deep breath and followed after.

Thinking back on his grandpa's advice now, Arnold could only conclude one thing after the particularly tender and heart-pounding situation he'd just found himself in with Helga G. Pataki (again)... 'This is going be MUCH harder than I thought...'

XXX

Dinner had been pretty pleasant, albeit with some teases toward the two kids that made them blush, especially since they were sitting next to each other. As well as some knowing winks from Phil, which made Arnold want to disappear into his food and leave Helga mildly confused. But none the less, it was quite enjoyable and even entertaining. Gertie had put together some home-made Chinese food, including Chow Mein, General Tao chicken, brown fried rice, noodles, sweet and sour chicken, wonton noodles, egg rolls, and some dumplings.

And there was even some fortune cookies, to which Mr. Hyun admitted to having brought home from the restaurant he worked at.

"They wanted to use new recipe! So they let me have these and bring them home!" He'd said.

Everyone got one, even with Oskar trying to take two, which Suzie kicked him in the shins for.

When Arnold read his fortune, even if he never much believed in them, couldn't help but blush at what it read: _**Love's great ways remain a mystery to even the trained eye.**_ Now wasn't that the truth.

Helga on the other hand had quite a similar kind of fortune, which read: _**Within the grasps of true love you slip so far but return upon actus rheus.**_

'_You have no idea._' The both of them thought to themselves, hiding their fortunes to prevent the other from seeing it.

"Kimba, Eleanor, will you two strapping kids give ol' Bwana a hand?" Gertie winked at the two of them as she began to gather everyone's dishes.

"S-Sure, Grandma." Arnold said, trying not to sound so nervous. "Um, we'll help! Right, Helga?"

"Y-Yeah, we'll help out, Arnold's Grandma...I mean, Gert...I mean Bwana." Helga tugged at her collar nervously before she stood up, taking her plates. "We'll get right on it! C'mon Football Head, we got work to do!"

Despite everything at hand, he still couldn't help but offering a good-natured smile in her direction as he too began gathering his plate and everyone else's who sat near him. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Darn right, whatever I say. Now c'mon, chop chop!"

The two of them cleared the table, bringing everything to the kitchen to either be washed or put away, and preserving any leftovers...that Oskar didn't get his hands on first. Arnold was then in charge of washing and rinsing the dishes, while Helga would dry them and put them away, while Gertie would put everything else away and also keep her eye on them with a knowing smile on her face.

As they washed, rinsed, dried and put away, they got into talking about random things to kill time as they did so.

"So I don't know about you, Arnold, but the effects for those little monsters were pretty weak. The CGI just looked fake." Helga remarked, talking about the movie they'd watched earlier on.

"Yeah, the CGI wasn't the best, but the rest of the movie was good." Arnold agreed, handing her a dish he'd finished washing.

"Are you kidding me? It was a pretty good adaptation." Helga took the dish and dried it off with the hand towel. "And that Craig guy was a nut." _His dad almost sounded like Big Bob...scary. Thankfully not THAT extreme, and he sure never creeped me out with the langoliers._

"His father pressured him a lot, and he was pretty unstable because of it. Remember the third-grader, Ken Walsh? Who was always pressured by his parents, and he ended up being sent to live with his aunt in Tennessee because of it?"

"He went crazy, and had to be sent away because of all the pressure put on him. Guess his parents said the langoliers would get him!"

"Whatever happened to the boogeyman?" Arnold chuckled, handing her another dish.

"I know, right? I mean really." Helga shook her head in agreement, drying the dish he'd given her. "Hey, how about that Nick...you know, the British guy, sacrificing himself? That takes guts to do something like that."

"It really does, but at least his sacrifice wasn't in vain, either."

"It's Stephen King, even he knows when to dish out happy endings, sometimes! All we can hope is that we don't hop a plane that goes through a time rift."

"I'm with you on that one, Helga." Arnold then saw he was finished with the dishes, and then smiled. "Hey, Helga?"

"Yeah?" She turned to look at him curiously as she put the last plate away.

SPLASH!

"HEY!" Helga squealed in surprise. "Did...did you just _splash_ me?"

He just smiled coyly. "I don't think so. I'd never do that. I'm Arnold, remember?"

"That's it. You are so DEAD!"

With that she splashed him back, laughing all the while. But he fought back and splashed her yet again. Pretty soon they got carried away and continued splashing each other with the lukewarm, soapy water, just acting like a couple of kids...even though they were.

Gertie just hid a chuckle behind her hand and walked out of the room quietly, not wanting to ruin their fun.

Arnold and Helga just continued splashing each other, laughing all the while and getting completely soaked to the bone.

Finally, though, the soapy dish water ran completely out, and, with giant grins on their faces, the two soaking wet and soapy kids both just shared one last laugh and then both agreed that them both taking a shower was definitely in order now. Arnold told Helga she could just take a shower in the regular bathroom in the hall and that he could just use his grandpa's secret one down in the basement.

And so they both showered, and changed into their pajamas (Helga just borrowing one of the Arnold's plaid shirts and a pair of pink shorts that a blushing Arnold admitted were once white but got mixed in with one of his grandma's crazy neon pink socks), and were now just laying on Arnold's floor in his room, their hair still a little damp and small smiles resting on their faces.

Helga was the first to break the (finally) contented silence. "So, what do you wanna do now?" She turned over on her side to look down at him, a hand supporting her head.

Arnold just shrugged, smiling at her from where he lay, clad in a plain pair of blue pajamas, and his hands just resting lazily on his stomach. "I don't know, Helga. We've already watched a movie, rehearsed our lines, eaten, and we're clean... I guess, we could just... talk." He shrugged again, still with that smile.

Helga rolled her eyes playfully, sitting up on the floor to stare down at him, with her hands hooked in front of her legs and her knees to her chest. "We've already talked, Football Head. And yeah, we've eaten, but I don't know about you, but I could DEFINITELY still eat. How about we pop in 'Monsters Creek' and have ourselves some dessert?" She grinned mischievously down at him.

Arnold smiled, sitting up next to her now also. "Sure. I'm pretty sure we've got some Chocolate Chunk ice cream in the freezer downstairs." He'd already begun standing up so he could go get it.

"No, Football Head, I meant 'dessert' as in..." She stood up then, a very foreign look coming to her face and eyes as she took a step towards him. "...'practice.'" Suddenly, she grabbed him and pressed her lips to his...

-~~-

"Snap OUT of it, Football Head!"

And then he suddenly felt someone shaking him, and his eyes went wide at the realization that he'd just gotten a little lost in one of his daydreams... They'd been happening more and more frequently lately.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Helga. I guess I just, um... lost my head for a second."

"No kidding, Football Head. I yelled your name like five times, and nothing! Criminy, could you PLEASE keep that wide head of yours out of the clouds for a minute to listen to me?" She huffed, sitting up on the floor.

"O-Oh, sorry, Helga." He hoped she couldn't notice the all too obvious blush growing in his cheeks.

"What I was SAYING was that I think we should go ahead and watch 'Monsters Creek' now, and maybe have some of that chocolate chunk ice cream I spotted in the fridge earlier while we were putting away the leftovers. What do ya say, Arnoldo?" She nudged him, her slight irriation with him vanishing as quickly as it came.

Arnold just blinked, before a smile came to his face and he stood up. "Sounds good, Helga. I'll go get the ice cream, and you put the movie in and, uh... get comfortable. I'll be back in just a minute." He smiled one last time, before making his way downstairs to get them some ice cream.

"Oh, NO WAY, Football Head! I'm coming with you!" Helga suddenly buzzed over to the door, opening it up before he could even get his hand on the doorknob.

Arnold blinked, that pleasant smile on his face only increasing. "Really?"

"Of course, Arnold. You don't know what kinds of sprinkles I like." She smirked at him, already beginning down the stairs of his room, her hair swaying back and forth as she walked.

_Helga...what a girl._ Arnold stared down after her for a few moments, a lovesick, dreamy look on his face.

"C'mon! Let's go!"

Snapping out of it, Arnold nodded and went downstairs after her, his cheeks heating up like crazy.

XXX

Which now brings us to this moment. Arnold and Helga, both simple nine-year-old kids, sitting on his flippable couch, eating chocolate chunk ice cream, and watching a scary monster movie (_Monsters Creek_), and all the while...doing their best to pay attention to the movie and their dessert and NOT each other. And to NOT think of how much they were secretly on the prowl for one another. Oh if only they knew what the other knew...

It wasn't until Helga broke the silence between them that their minds were off of things a bit.

"Hey. How much you want to bet that the monster will get the geeky idiot next? He just said the idiotic 'I'll be right back' line and left."

"I don't know, Helga...maybe, but the movie could twist us around and maybe get the other girl first." Arnold suggested.

Helga smirked a bit. "Oh you think so, huh? Think you'll win this time? You wanna bet?"

"I don't know Helga, are you up to it?" Arnold smiled at her innocently.

"You're on, Football Head. If I win, you..." Her smirk grew, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "You have to kiss me."

Arnold's eyes widened. "W-What? K-Kiss you?"

"You heard me."

Of course, he was more than glad to acquiesce if she did end up being right, but it was still pretty surprising that she actually said that. Did that mean something? Did she WANT to kiss him? He didn't doubt that she didn't like it when they kissed, because if she really didn't like kissing him, she would have stopped it from happening a long time ago. Heck, the first time they'd kissed was enjoyable and she didn't seem at all repulsed by it one bit. It was part of what did seem to confirm his suspicion that she may have liked him a bit more than as a friend...but really though? What WAS going on?

Only one way to find out.

"O-Okay, Helga..." Arnold managed after some thought. "If I win..." He now had to think yet again about what to make come out of this. Something worth it...as she seemed to be doing, but not enough to freak either of them out. A date? No, too much. A kiss? No, that would be silly and would give no reason for either side to want to win since they would get it either way. A hug? Come on. They were already friends and shared hugs when they were alone. A snack? No way, not worth it...even if a snack they liked was always good. Then he thought of it. "You have to wear your hair down until you leave tomorrow."

Helga rose one side of her eyebrow and snickered. "Man, you really like it when I wear my hair down, don't you? Do you want to brush it and run your fingers through it while you're at it?"

"Can I?" He asked in surprise.

Again she snickered. "What the heck. Fine. You're on, Football Head."

She held her hand to him to shake, which he did, and they went back to watching the movie.

They watched the screen intensely, watching carefully for when the next person would end up getting slaughtered and WHO exactly that person would be...

Some time later, both kids were staring at the screen with wide eyes, their spoons frozen in mid-ascending-to-the-pie-hole...

After a moment, they turned and looked at each other, and immediately burst into laughter, their ice cream nearly falling out of their laps and just plopping down onto the floor.

"I... can't believe that... we tied!" Helga managed between laughs.

Arnold nodded through his laughs, replying back best he could, "I know... Who'd've thought she'd actually end up FOLLOWING him and getting killed off right alongside him?" He chuckled some more.

"Seriously!" Helga coughed out, finally beginning to get her laughs under control.

Arnold wiped his eyes free of any tears that may have escaped in the middle of his laugh-fest, still grinning like crazy.

The two kids just sat there in contented silence for several seconds...

And then the reality of what exactly BOTH of them winning meant finally set in, and the two of them immediately found themselves gulping, blushes rising in their cheeks at an alarming speed.

Helga laughed a little nervously, though she tried her best to seem casual about it all. "Well, I-I guess you owe me that kiss now, Arnold..."

Arnold felt that a gulp was in order once again at these words, and he looked away, refusing to look her in the eye as he said, "Y-Yeah... I guess so..."

He heard shifting on the other end of the couch, but he payed it no mind... not before he suddenly felt a hand come to his shoulder and start trying to force him to turn around. He jumped slightly at her touch (and the delightful little shock that it had caused to shoot through him), and he turned around to face her with wide eyes, realizing almost immediately that she was MUCH closer than she was before...

Helga gulped, the blush only getting stronger in her cheeks. 'Come on, Helga ol' girl, don't chicken out now. You were brave enough to make up this whole stupid bet in the first place... and he has no choice but to comply, so... YOU'D BETTER NOT MISS OUT ON KISSING HIM AGAIN!' She took in a shaky breath, some actual strength actually returning to her voice as she said, "Well, might as well get it over with, right, Arnold?" She laughed a bit shakily, though thankfully not as shakily as before.

Arnold's breathing got a bit heavier at her words, and the small bit of leaning in that had accompanied them, and the only thing he felt he could manage at this point was a small nod in return and to close his eyes real tight and pucker his lips slightly, just waiting for it...

"OH no, Football Head, the bet was that YOU had to give ME a kiss! Not the other way around. Now lean, already!" He could suddenly feel her warm breath tickling the small hairs of his face, and his breath hitched in his throat at the feeling, causing his already pounding heart to practically explode with anxiety and anticipation and even slight frustration with himself that he was acting so shy and silly over something that they'd already done nearly eight times... But he supposed that he couldn't help it. Every new kiss he received from her was like the first... a spark would fly through him, a tremble would pass through his spine, his hands would start sweating, his heart would burst... it was wonderful... but he'd never actually had to just... go for it. It was usually in the heat of the moment and all just this big emotional rush... but this time, HE had to initiate it all by his little self, and he just...

He took a deep breath, unable to wait any longer for fear that he would explode, and just smashed his lips into hers, hoping he was doing it right (After all, all the other times he'd done it, it had just been completely on instinct and natural, but this time... he actually had to think about it while he did it and before he did it, which was a tad bit new to him)...

Helga just sighed into the kiss, almost immediately just melting into him and wrapping her arms around his neck and head... it caught him a bit by surprise, but then again... what DIDN'T Helga do that caught him that surprised him?

His musings were dashed, though, when he felt her hands suddenly start weaving through his hair gently... almost lovingly even...

His brain shut down nearly completely, and he just flung his arms around her completely on instinct, and began pulling her in as close as he could get her without knocking himself over onto his back. His heart sang, his head tingled, his entire body shivered, his eyes shut tighter, and his voice moaned...

It was wonderful.

_Did he just MOAN? Did he moan? Oh ARNOLD!_ Helga held him tighter and continued to lovingly weave her fingers through his hair, kissing him more passionately but allowing him to take it over, gladly submitting to him, and moaned in response.

Arnold sighed again through his nose, her responses were indication enough that he must have been doing SOMETHING right. She was an amazing kisser (even if he had no one to compare it to), and she actually liked his kissing. Wow, what a concept. She was even moaning, just like before. Her moans were enough to send pleasurable shivers up and down his spine. What could possibly have been better than kissing Helga? Everything about her was so strong and passionate, and yet soft and sweet deep within.

The movie played on in the background, as the two of them lost themselves in their kiss, not a care in the world. Aside from maybe fighting off the urge to just passionately admit they loved each other, of course.

When his fingers now came to play with her pigtails, Helga swooned and brought her beloved closer to her, drowning in his kiss, his scent, the warmth of his body. Oh how perfectly he fit against her... Not to mention being able to kiss him so many times in one day! This had to be a new record!

Much to their dismay, the need for air was getting to them. So they had to pull apart, away from each other's wonderful mouths. For a few moments they stared at each other, eyes half-lidded and panting softly, holding on to one another, not speaking. The same thoughts, questions, were running through their heads as they sat in silence for who-knows-how long.

It wasn't until the loud pitter patter of the rain now going on outside pounded on his skylight above them when they finally snapped out of it and broke the silence.

"We...uh...seem to have some kind of knack for kissing each other." Helga murmured.

"Y-Yeah...Um, Helga, d-did you...want to practice?" Arnold managed.

"Er...yeah...yeah! I know I could've asked but hey, wanted to make it more fun with a silly challenge!"

They let go of each other, turning back to the movie, both of them blushing furiously. When they finally managed to calm down and regain their breathing, they managed to return to watching the movie. All the while Helga undoing her hair from its pigtails, as part of what she had to do, and couldn't help but inwardly smile that she could do a little simple thing to make her beloved smile. He liked it when she wore her hair down, it was a pretty sweet deal.

"Go on. I know you want to." She then said, snapping his attention back to her. "We were tied, so I'm living up to my end of the bet bargain."

"O-Oh!" Arnold remembered, and nodded. "Well, sure, Helga...if you don't mind if I do."

Helga snickered. "You modest Football Head. If I really didn't want you to, I'd have objected when you made your bet."

"I-I guess so." He managed, and scooted closer to her, reaching out to touch her hair. Those soft, golden strands he could never get enough of. He was close enough to her to smell her sweet vanilla scent, and the flowery shampoo she used in her hair to make it smell like a vase of wildflowers. The lovesick boy had to resist the urge of getting close and smelling it entirely, burying his face in it, even. But he didn't dare, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her. It WAS their first sleepover together, after all. He didn't want her to get scared and think that she was going to wake up to him smelling her hair while she'd been sleeping.

It didn't help that she looked so adorable in his plaid shirt and pink (used to be white) shorts...

Arnold shook his head vigorously and managed to bring both hands up to play with her soft tresses. So soft, holding a million possibilities. He had to stop as she took a hairbrush out of her bag and handed it to him, winking at him. He blushed, taking the hairbrush, and proceeded to brush his beloved's hair, gently smoothing out the strands. He smiled, it was pretty nice to brush someone else's hair, especially the hair of a girl you really liked.

Helga exhaled softly and closed her eyes, allowing him to brush her hair. He was gentle but sure, and it felt really nice, almost like getting it brushed out at the hairdresser. Only this was no hairdresser trained and paid to do this, but the one she loved, the only other person aside from her family, maybe Phoebe, and a hairdresser ever touch her hair.

"Hey, you're pretty handy with that brush, Arnold."

Arnold blushed a bit and smiled more. "Thanks, Helga. Just let me know if it ever hurts, okay?"

"Gotcha."

This went on for a couple of minutes, Arnold brushing her golden hair, and Helga enjoying it, not once feeling it being tugged or the messiness of tangles. It felt great for both of them! He eventually finished, and simply opted for running his fingers through the strands lovingly, thankful that her back was turned so that she wouldn't see the lovesick smile on his face.

Helga let out a soft sigh at feeling his fingers run through her hair, and she informed him, "This actually feels pretty good, Football Head."

"Yeah..." Arnold murmured dreamily, before he snapped back to reality and stuttered out, "I-I mean, yeah, for YOU. Heh, heh... I'm glad."

"Mmm-hm..." Helga hummed, thankful that her back was turned to him so he couldn't see the big dreamy smile on her face and just HOW half-lidded her eyes were.

Arnold just continued to rake his fingers through her hair, feeling the softness and watching as each piece fell back into place after his fingers came through. He had no clue how anyone's hair could be that soft and shiny and vibrant... It was so lovely. But then again, what about Helga Pataki could he find that WASN'T lovely? Her breathtaking eyes, her adorable nose, her so very kissable lips, her soft hands, her long legs, her cute bow, her beautiful hair, her wonderful voice... He sighed quietly to himself, his eyes glazed over in affection and love.

Since her back was turned, and she didn't look like she'd be turning around any time soon, he continued to run one hand through one side of her hair, and he leaned his head in so he could give the other side a small sniff.

How could she possibly know how much he loved wildflowers? He couldn't recall ever mentioning it to her, and yet here the wonderful scent was in her hair... He took in a deep breath of it, and then let it out in a shivery breath, trying to be quiet.

He supposed he really should stop soon, since he was almost sure that if he didn't he was just going to collapse in a fit of happiness and love. Oh, why couldn't she just love him back? It wasn't hard for him to fall for her... It felt almost natural, despite how much he'd tried to fight it at the time. Sure, he'd been playing around with the idea of her having a bit of a crush on him, since she didn't seem to mind the kissing and seemed to enjoy being around him nowadays... but how could he possibly know for sure? Before this whole weird relationship between them had started, she'd hated his guts. There was no way she could possibly switch from absolute hatred to crushing on him that quickly. What had changed to make her like him? What?

He sighed again, this time in a bit of melancholy. He didn't know HOW he got himself into this mess... He just adored her at this point, and her feelings were about as much of a mystery as how the heck Oskar possibly didn't get to the ice cream before they did... He'd had to deal with similar things like this before, what with Ruth McDougal and even some of his REALLY old crushes from way back when... Unrequited affection. No one had ever really LIKED him as more than just a friend before... How could he possibly expect to win the affections of someone as strong-willed and fierce as Helga G. Pataki? And this wasn't just unrequited affection this time, since all of his past crushes were just... well, crushes.

But this was different. He actually loved her...

Unrequited love.

Well... that was even WORSE. What would he possibly do with himself if she ended up rejecting him? It had been fairly easy getting over all the past girls he'd liked, but how was he supposed to get over someone he LOVED? And especially someone he loved this MUCH, and not just any kind of regular love... but a love that the more time he spent with her... the more his feelings just got more and more intense?

His heart heavy with all these thoughts of his current situation with Helga Pataki, Arnold just sighed, hugging Helga from behind and holding her tight, yet gently, not even really realizing what he was doing.

He supposed that the only thing he COULD do at this point was to just spend more time with her, try and get her to warm up to the idea of them together (Like his grandfather had said), and just... hope. Though he knew his chances were low, he was an optimist at heart... He'd just have to keep hoping.

"I love you, Helga." He muttered next to her ear, still holding her tight.

Though Helga hadn't been sure as to WHY Arnold had hugged her, she'd just assumed he was thankful for her letting him play with her hair. So she'd just smiled and squeezed the arms he had around her, and right at the moment she'd opened her mouth to say, 'Your welcome'...

She'd heard his little confession muttered softly into her ear, and her entire body froze. "I-I'm sorry... what?" She muttered back, her eyes huge and EXTREMELY unsure.

Arnold smiled at her question, letting out a small sigh and opening his eyes. He knew how to get out of this... though he was slightly annoyed with himself on his lack of being able to just out-right tell her... He told her again, "I said I love you, Helga... you know, strictly as a friend. Like I love Gerald, and you love Phoebe." He squeezed her a bit tighter, snuggling against her hair affectionately (Though he knew it would just come off as friendly and playful). "Thanks for letting me brush your hair and everything, Helga. It was nice."

Helga released the breath she'd been holding, understanding what he was saying. "Ah, I getcha." She laughed nervously. 'Yeah, Helga, he just randomly decided that he's suddenly in love with you.' She rolled her eyes mentally, telling him, "W-Well, in that case... I love you too, Arnold."

His hug got tighter around her, though she wasn't quite sure why. She just sighed in his embrace, happy that he cared about her this much... as a friend, of course. And although she dreamed that he'd love her in a MUCH different way someday... at the moment, she couldn't help but just be thankful that even if she couldn't have him as her boyfriend like she wanted... she could have him like this. She sighed blissfully to herself, squeezing his arms a bit more.

Some time passed, though neither were really keeping track of it... just happy to be with each other like this...

Soon, though, Helga began getting worried about how long they'd been hugging, and, still not wanting him to suspect any sort of feelings of her, she cleared her throat. "Um, Arnold... you can let go now."

His arms stayed tight around her another moment, and then unwound from around her and he pulled back completely, a blush on his face and his heart still pounding from having her so close. 'Get a grip, Arnold! Don't blow it now!' He thought to himself, gulping and trying to sound as casual as humanly possible (Though, being honest little Arnold, this was incredibly hard), "O-Oh. Sorry, H-Helga. I didn't realize..." He laughed nervously.

She just waved him off, a friendly smile on her face (After all, she was an excellent actress and more than used to faking it by now). "No sweat, Arnold. I kinda forgot what we were doing for a minute there, too." She made herself comfortable on the couch again, stretching her limbs a bit with a yawn. "So... what do ya wanna do now?"

Her question hadn't quite processed with him just yet, as he was a bit distracted with just how cute her little yawn looked... He took in a deep breath, and, doing his best to push aside his love for her for now, he shrugged. "I-I don't know, Helga... Was there anything in particular YOU wanted to do tonight?"

"Hmmm..." She put a finger to her lips in contemplation, not even noticing how this action seemed to make Arnold stiffen slightly. "Well... I'm not sure..." She began with a suspicious tone in her voice...

Suddenly, she bolted upward off of the couch, and ran over to his bed and grabbed one of his pillows, a giant smirk on her face as she said, "How about a pillow fight?" And with that, she instantly ran over to him and began whamming her pillow into his head, feathers going everywhere.

Arnold erupted with laughter, his woes of her not loving him back disappearing to the back of his skull as he fell off of the couch, doing his best to block her attacks. "No fair, Helga! There was no warning!"

"Exactly, Football Head! That was the whole point! Doi!" She laughed back, still whaling on him with the pillow, feathers flying. "What are you gonna do about, huh? What is a little shrimp like you going to do?"

"THIS!" Arnold managed to roll off the couch onto the floor, dodging her latest blow, and hurried to his bed to grab his other pillow. "I'll fight back!"

"Oh really? Well, bring it on, Football Head!"

"I will!"

The two circled each other, holding their pillows, ready to strike at any given moment...

"In this corner, we have, weighing at who-knows-what, Helga 'Ol' Betsy and the Five Avengers' Pataki! And in that corner, we have Arnold 'The Football Head'...who's also very short!"

"Hey!" Arnold laughed, and then went in for the kill, whacking her with his pillow. "Take that, you evil fiend!"

"Bring it on, _Romeo_!"

"As you wish, my fair _Juliet_."

"Let's end this."

"It's not over until it's over!"

The hilarious pillow fight between them lasted well into the rainy evening, as it grew much darker outside, the rain still pattering on his skylight, and their laughter drowning out into the night.

It wasn't until later, when Phil came up announcing that he and Gertie were going to bed, and that they try not to get into any trouble or anything too noisy. So with that, Arnold and Helga decided to get into bed too, since they too were getting tired and decided to turn in after such a long, but wonderful (for the most part) day.

So now, with Helga laying on a pillow with a sheet and blanket, on Arnold's couch, and Arnold in his bed, the two lay there in the darkness of his room, staring up at the rainy skylight, wondering what they could discuss to pass the time before falling asleep.

"What, no goodnight kiss? Goodness Arnold, how will you make it in life?"

"Helga!" Arnold covered his mouth to keep from laughing. "You have kissing on the brain, you know that?"

"Hey, how can I not?" Helga rolled onto her stomach so she could face him. "With all that we have to do, and the fact we're friends and have kissed more times than I can count, more than any friends would...don't you think that kind of sticks to my brain a little?"

_'Good point. ...Wait, does that mean she WANTS me to?'_ Arnold thought, but it was all he could think before he gathered his courage and pushed all thoughts aside, getting out of bed and walking over to her, standing next to his couch so he would be facing her. "Gosh Helga, if you wanted a goodnight kiss, all you had to do was ask."

Before Helga could respond to that, his hands came to her cheeks, gently cupping them, and his lips came to hers. His kiss was gentle, sweet...loving, even. It effectively shut her up, and made her melt and freeze at the same time. Before she could absorb it, her beloved parted from her, smiled, and headed back to his bed, as if nothing had happened.

_'What..was THAT? Did he just kiss me? Practically of his own free will, even though I put the idea into his head without meaning to even though in a way I was and yet wasn't...oh who cares, I'm getting confused, but he KISSED ME! So gentle, sweet and tender! Arnold my darling, my love! I love you so much! The moment I spoke those words to you, I meant them! Oh please, somewhere in your mind, know that I meant them more than what we said they did!'_ Helga marvelled and rolled onto her back, the dreamy, lovesick smile on her face.

"Helga?"

"Mm-hm...?" Came her dreamy reply, not quite listening.

"You know...well, all things considered, and everything that's happened lately, I'm really glad we...well, decided to have a sleepover like this. It's pretty fun to spend time together like this, and overnight, too. I never did this with a girl, to be honest. Well like I said, sleepovers between girls and boys our age doesn't happen often, anyway, but...for the first time ever, it's been a lot of fun. I-I guess you COULD count that camping trip, but it was all four of us there, and your dad and my grandpa...but this one I guess is more personal and 'real'."

Helga beamed, glad to know that the first time spending overnight with a girl, namely her, that didn't include anyone else. It almost seemed like a given, since they were good friends and enjoyed their evening, but it was sweet to hear straight from him that he enjoyed it. "Good to know, Football Head. Sure is fun for me, too. Heck, we should do this more often."

"...Would you want to?"

"Well yeah. Why not? We obviously like doing it, so of course. No reason we can't. You game?"

His heart thumped. Maybe she WAS warming up to the idea of them being together soon after all. Maybe there was hope! "I'd sure like to, Helga. It's great spending time with you like this."

"Then we've got a dealio! ...And you know, it's great for me, too. I'm uh...I'm glad to hear that...you know, we have fun like this. Like tonight."

Arnold chuckled. "It is, Helga. It really is."

"Glad to hear it. Again. Anyway..." She yawned, and then got an idea. "Goodnight."

"Sleep tight."

"Dream of bedbugs tonight."

They both laughed a bit at this, before snuggling into their blankets and getting comfy in their respective sleeping spots.

"Hey Arnold?"

"Yes?"

"...I love you." '_Please catch the real meaning...and at the same time, DON'T catch it!'_

For one brief moment, he imagined it to be real, to be the truth words he longed to hear from her. For just ONE moment... And then it was gone. But still, he smiled. "I love you too."

Helga sighed contently, snuggling deeper into her pillow and just beginning to drift off to sleep...

Arnold stayed awake a few more minutes, just staring up at the sky through his skylight, barely being able to make out the few stars in the sky through the clouds and rainfall.

He sighed to himself, pulling his blanket up over himself some more. 'And I mean it, Helga... I do...' He thought to himself, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep...

-~~-

Arnold cracked his eyes open, the sunlight from his skylight filling his eyes instantly with their light, the rain from the other night erased from the sky in it's entirety.

He yawned, stretching in his bed. Memories from the past night filled his mind, and a grin came to his wide head. His eyes snapped over to his couch, seeing Helga still lying there, buried under the covers to where he couldn't quite see her face, and her golden tresses spilled out over her pillow. He sighed happily, getting out of bed and walking over to where she laid.

He heard her mumble something incoherently in her sleep, and he had to hold down a small chuckle at how cute the concept of her talking in her sleep was. He just watched her a moment, marveling at how the sunlight shone so brilliantly off of her blonde hair...

After a few more moments of this, he, with smile, just leaned down and gently pulled the covers off of her head so he could see her face, still tucked deep into her pillow and the ghost of a smile on her face. He smiled a bit wider at the sight of her, confirming that last night truly had been real.

Though he could have just watched her for hours, he was anxious for her to be awake so they could talk again, and so he gently took hold of her shoulder and shook her a little, muttering to her, "Helga, it's time to get up..."

WHACK!

"Ow!" Arnold rubbed his head, staring down at her in confusion. She'd just whacked him in the head!

"Come on, Miriam... just twenty more minutes..." She mumbled, now laying on her back and her eyes still closed tight.

Arnold stared at her a moment in bewilderment ('Miriam...?'), before what she must have meant by that and who she thought he was finally processed with him fully and he began cracking up.

Helga's eyes flew open wide at the sound of Arnold's laugh next to her, as opposed to what she'd expected which had been a, "Oh, sure, dear... I'm... I'm gonna go get a smoothie..." coming from her mother. She bolted up on the couch, and snapped her head in the direction she'd heard him laugh, coming to see him just standing there next to her, laughing happily with a hand on his head and the other just dangling aimlessly at his side.

She was about to scream, when the memories of last night filled her mind, and she relaxed immediately, letting out a breath of relief. "Oh... Hey, Football Head." She greeted tiredly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Arnold managed to get his laughter under control soon enough, and he just smiled at her, leaning in slightly as he replied, "Good morning, Helga." His eyes fell half-lidded.

Helga swallowed at the look from him... that beautiful half-lidded gaze she couldn't get enough of... 'Oh, Arnold...' She sighed, shaking her head at him slightly. "Yeah, yeah, Football Head. Enough with the mushy stuff already." She twisted around so that her legs hit the ground, and she sat there a moment, delighting in his slight blush at her words before standing up completely so she could stretched with a yawn, before scratching the slight itch on her head.

Arnold, still with that slight blush, just smiled a bit more at her cute little yawn before telling her, "It's about nine, Helga. We slept in a little. But I'm sure there'll still be some breakfast left if we hurry up and get ready. You can use the bathroom first, if you'd like, Helga."

Helga shrugged, walking over to the door with a, "Whatever floats your boat," before noticing the stack of her clothes from the other night folded neatly and laying by the door. She blinked, leaning down to pick up the small note that came with them. She read aloud, "'Here's your clothes, Eleanor. Have a blast. Love, Leonora.' Leonora? Who the heck is-"

"Grandma." Arnold interrupted her, putting away her pillow in his closet and the now folded blanket she'd used.

Helga blinked, glancing over at him before looking back down at the note with a hint more comprehension. "Ah." She set the note down on the couch, and hugged her clothes to her chest with one arm while she opened the door with her other arm. "Great. I'll be out in a few minutes, Arnold."

"Take your time." Arnold told her pleasantly, making his bed now, though he managed to cast her one last smile before the door behind her clicked shut.

Arnold sighed happily to himself, fluffing his pillow some. "What a wonderful way to wake up." He mused to himself, now finished with making his bed. He had to admit, now that he'd fully admitted to himself that he loved her... he felt pretty... free. Like a small weight had been lifted off of him. It felt good. Though not nearly as good as he imagined it would feel to finally tell her he did. He sighed to himself once again, his mood waning for just a moment before it came back full force, him pushing his troubles to the back of his mind, not to be thought of again... at least not for today. He just wanted to go with the flow today, just enjoy the simple happiness of being around Helga... despite the fact that he wasn't technically 'with' her.

"Knock, knock, Shortman!" He heard his grandpa's knock on the door. "You awake yet?"

"Yeah, Grandpa, I'm awake! You can come in!" He called from where he now sat, perched up on his bed with a smile.

Phil entered the room then, smiling at his grandson. "Hey, Shortman, I just passed by your little lady friend on my way up here. She looked like she was in a pretty good mood this morning..." He observed the small grin on his grandson's face a moment, suddenly feeling amused (Or at least more than he was feeling before). "And I see she isn't the only one."

Arnold just beamed at his grandpa. "Yeah, last night was just really fun. Thanks for letting her sleepover, Grandpa."

"Ah, she can come over anytime she likes, Shortman. You know that." Phil laughed, walking over to his grandson so he could give him a small nudge in the shoulder. "So, anything interesting happen last night after your grandma and me went to bed?" He eyed him suspiciously with a twinkle in his eye.

Arnold blushed slightly, shaking his head quick. "No, Grandpa! After you went to bed, we just followed suit. Nothing happened."

"Then why do you look so happy?"

Arnold just shrugged, still with that grin. "It's just nice to be around her, that's all. Was there anything you wanted, Grandpa?"

"Oh, I just came up here to tell ya that breakfast is still on the table, and we managed to snag ya couple of pancakes and some bacon and eggs before any of the boarders managed to get their greasy hands on them..." He mumbled something incoherently under his breath a moment, sounding somewhat like, 'Kokoshka' before he smiled again, finishing, "but that's not nearly as fun as watching you squirm over all the 'fun,'" He air-quoted, "you had with your little friend that you just so happen to like last night."

"G-Grandpa..." Arnold blushed furiously.

Phil gave a laugh and patted his grandson on the shoulder. "No need to be embarrassed, short man! Being happy with the girl you like so much is always great! You just have to remember one last thing."

"Let me guess."

"That's right! Never eat raspberries!"

"Grandpa..." Arnold sighed, but still had the grin on his face.

"Haha, well you two get your keesters ready and we'll be downstairs! You grandma's got some blueberry pancakes!" Phil patted his stomach and then went to the door. "By the way, here comes your little lady friend! Quite a catch, short man! She's a keeper!"

"Grandpa!" Poor Arnold's face was rivaling a tomato, despite that he completely agreed.

"Good mornin', Helga!" Phil greeted her as he went downstairs and she came in.

"Hey, Phil." Helga said casually, and came back into the room, now fully dressed. "You go get ready now, because I'm starving! I could smell those blueberry pancakes a mile away!"

Arnold grinned and nodded, going to his closet to get some clothes. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Darn right. Whatever I say!" She grinned back at him.

XXX

The rest of the morning was going by so well. They at some breakfast, all the while talking about the movies they'd watched the night before in better detail, getting into a playful argument about which of the movie's monsters were better, either the langoliers from _The Langoliers_ or the chernabog monsters from _Monsters Creek_. It was hard to say, given that both monsters had little screentime and development, but they got into their fun argument to the point where they couldn't stop laughing at each other's debates.

After breakfast, they helped Phil and Gertie out with some chores, such as washing the dishes yet again, and then straightening the living room, and folding laundry.

Which was embarrassing.

VERY embarrassing. But Arnold managed to get them out of there before she could tease him about his undergarments.

So after THAT little fiasco, they went back to his room to rehearse some more.

"_Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer's voice, to lure this tassel-gentle back again!  
Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud; Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies, and make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine, with repetition of my Romeo's name._" Helga recited off her script as Juliet, getting more and more into the role.

"_It is my soul that calls upon my name: How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, like softest music to attending ears!_" Arnold responded in character as Romeo. He too, was getting the hang of the role.

"_Romeo!_"

"_My dear?_"

"_At what o'clock tomorrow shall I send to thee?_"

"_At the hour of nine_."

"_I will not fail: 'tis twenty years till then. I have forgot why I did call thee back._"

"_Let me stand here till thou remember it._"

"_I shall forget to have thee still stand there, remembering how I love thy company._"

"_And I'll stay, to have thee still forget, forgetting any other home but this._"

"_'Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone:And yet no further than a wanton's bird; Who lets it hop a little from her hand, like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves, and with a silk thread plucks it back again, so loving-jealous of his liberty_."

"_I would I were thy bird_."

"_Sweet, so would I: Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing. Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow._" Helga then walked across the room to signify Juliet leaving.

"_Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast! Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest! Hence will I to my ghostly father's cell, his help to crave, and my dear hap to tell._" Arnold finished and then walked to the opposite end of the room to signify Romeo leaving.

"Not bad, _Romeo_." Helga smirked playfully. "You're getting better at this."

"And you're just as wonderful as always." Arnold smiled brightly at her. "You're a great actress, Helga."

Helga blushed a little, and desperately tried to keep the small charmed giggle to come out like it seemed to want to so badly. She just coughed a little to try and clear it up, and then smiled at him brightly, trying to seem smug despite the blush still on her face. "Well, of course I am, Football Head. I'm Helga G. Pataki after all."

Arnold just sighed a little at her attempt at acting smug when it was clear she was flattered, and rolled his eyes a little, though a small smile couldn't help but stay on his lips through this. "You most certainly are, Helga." He played along.

Helga snickered at his little display and words, and nodded. "Yup. So seriously now, anything else you think we should rehearse? Our balcony scene is still a little weak. You keep making us skip over that one. Either that or you just end up making a joke out of the whole thing. What's up with that?"

"Uh..." He really didn't want to tell her his reason behind that, and, luckily, for him, they were interrupted.

The phone rang, and Arnold blinked, casting Helga an apologetic smile as he walked over to pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Arnold, man. Where have you been? You were supposed to meet me at the arcade a half hour ago."

Arnold's eyes widened at Gerald's voice, and he smacked a hand to his forehead. "Oh, I'm sorry, Gerald. I completely forgot. I've been with Helga most of the day. We're practicing together for the school play."

"Ohhhh, so I got ditched for romance. That's nice."

"I'm sorry, Gerald. If you want, we can still go over there together today..." Arnold glanced over at Helga, who, seeming to understand his questioning gaze, just shrugged with a compliant 'whatever floats your boat' smile.

"That would be better, buddy. There's some stuff I sorta wanted to talk to you about..."

"Oh. What is it, Gerald? Is something wrong?"

"Um... Well, I don't know if something's exactly WRONG, per say... I'm just a little confused, I guess. I wanted to ask you exactly what's going on with-... Oh, just get down here."

"Alright, Gerald, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Good. See you then."

Arnold smiled, hanging up the phone. He turned then, seeing Helga walking over to him. She smirked, her arms crossed over her chest. "You're so ditching me right now, aren't you, Football Head?"

Arnold smiled apologetically, putting a hand to her shoulder. "Sorry, Helga, but I forgot that I was supposed to go down to the arcade with Gerald today. We can practice some more tomorrow. Will you be okay?" He looked up at her innocently.

Helga shrugged with a small roll of her eyes, walking over to the door of his room as she rambled out, "Hey, I've got a life outside of you, Football Head. I got along just fine BEFORE we began this whole crazy relationship with each other. I think I can survive a day away from you." She snorted with a laugh, opening up his door so she could leave.

Arnold walked over to her, grabbing her hand before she could leave. He smiled a little nervously at her. "Yeah, okay, Helga. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yup. Tomorrow, Arnold. Are you sure you can handle it?" She leaned down a little into his face with a smirk.

Arnold smirked a little back, nodding his head. "As long as I know I'll see you again, I'm sure I'll be fine, Helga. Goodbye." He took advantage of her face being so close to his by giving her a small peck on the cheek, before he pulled away and gave her hand he was still holding a quick, affectionate squeeze, before he let go and put his hands behind his back, amazingly being able to hold back his blush for once.

Helga blinked a little in a daze, but she got over it fast enough and she waved, walking down the stairs and her hair still down.

Arnold smiled, closing the door behind her and then just beginning to walk over to his closet to brush out his hair a little better before he headed out (Since Helga had been so anxious to eat, he'd only been able to give it a quick once over, so it was still a little scrabbly looking). But not a second after he'd closed the door, it flew back open again and Helga ran in to grab her hair ties off of the floor where Arnold had thrown them the night before when they'd kissed. She instantly began putting her hair back up, laughing at Arnold's completely flabbergasted expression on his face from her so unexpectedly rushing in here again. Once her pigtails were up and gravity-defying again, she smirked at him one last time, informing him as she ventured closer, "Sorry, Arnold, forgot my hair ties." She grabbed his head suddenly then, and kissed him smack dab on the lips, forcefully, causing him to just limply kiss back with wide eyes, his arms hanging at his sides. She parted from him with a quick 'snapping' sound of lips separating, before patting him on the head and walking back over to the door, telling him on her way back out, "Just gettin' in one more for the road, Arnoldo. Figured if we're going to be a couple of weirdo kissing friends, we might as well do it right." She winked at him, shutting the door behind her.

Arnold just stood there weakly, slumping considerably and struggling with keeping his knees from just having him fall straight away to the floor. He took in a shuddery breath, saying a silent 'thank you' for having Mr. Simmons cast him as the Romeo to Helga's Juliet. 'So this is what it feels like to die and go to Heaven...' He thought, a goofy smile on his face...

After a few minutes of involuntary daydreams of what was to come, Arnold remembered Gerald was waiting for him, and he shook his head.

He could always daydream later.

-~~-

Arnold arrived at the arcade a few minutes later, seeing Gerald on the inside playing 'Run Away Bus' while he waited for him. Arnold walked in, walking over to where Gerald was.

"Gerald," Arnold tried to get his attention, standing behind him.

Gerald jumped a little at the unexpected greeting, accidently swerving the bus sideways all the way and crashing. He tensed a moment, before he flew around in his seat to give whoever dared interrupt him a piece of his mind... until he saw that it was Arnold, and his expression melted away into a smile. "Oh, hey man."

They did their handshake, as Gerald got out of his seat to face his friend completely.

"Hey, Gerald. Sorry for making you crash like that." Arnold apologized, looking guilty.

Gerald just waved him off with one of his carefree, easygoing smiles. "No problem, man. I've been wanting to talk to you about something anyway."

"Yeah, I remember from your phone call. What's up, Gerald?" Arnold asked, following after his friend as he walked over to the snack bar, ordering himself a soda.

Once getting his yahoo, Gerald turned to his friend, answering him, "Well, I found out you got the part of Romeo, and I wanted to congratulate ya."

Arnold beamed. "Thanks, Gerald. I almost didn't get it. But luckily Eugene was nice enough to drop out so I could get the part."

"Seriously? That was nice of him." Gerald commented with a smile, sipping his soda.

"Yeah, I know. He almost didn't do it, though. But once he found out he'd have to kiss a girl, he didn't really wanna be in it anymore anyway. But to sorta seal the deal, I had to sort of..." His eyes shifted around a moment, making sure no one was listening in, before he looked back to Gerald and whispered, "...tell him my secret."

"You told him about that weird birth mark in the shape of a cat on your thigh?" Gerald raised an eyebrow, sipping his soda some more.

"What? No! I told him I was in love with Helga."

Gerald did a spit take, spewing yahoo soda all over Arnold. "You did HUH?"

"Ah... Gerald!" Arnold scolded, observing the sticky Yahoo soda now all over his sweater.

"Sorry, man, but... Really? You told Eugene that you love Helga? And while we're on the subject, you've finally admitted you love her?"

Arnold blushed a little, trying to wipe his sweater off a little with his hands. "Oh, yeah. I decided there was no sense fighting it anymore. I'm in love with her." His blush deepened considerably, as he stammeringly attempted to move on, "A-And yes, I told Eugene. It was the only way to get him to just drop out and let me have the part. Mr. Simmons said that Helga and I have great chemistry together, but I'm pretty sure that the fact that Eugene is a way better actor than me would have tromped that down. So Eugene offered me a deal, that he'd drop out if I admitted to liking her, so I told him. I had to. I mean, there was NO way I was going to just sit back and watch Helga and EUGENE end up kissing all over each other on the stage." Arnold frowned at the mere thought, focusing intently cleaning off his sweater best he could.

Gerald blinked, grabbing some napkins off of the snack bar and handing them to Arnold as he replied, "Yeah, I guess. But do you really think HELGA would EVER go for Eugene? She's always calling him out on being a total jinx."

"After what happened with my cousin, I'm not willing to take any chances, Gerald." Arnold said back, wiping his sweater off with the napkins now, which he'd accepted graciously with a smile.

Gerald snickered a little at the reminder. "Yeah, that was a disaster."

"Mmmm..." Was all Arnold was willing to say on the subject in a flat tone, walking over to dispose of the sogging wet napkins now.

Gerald followed after, yahoo soda still in hand. "But really, man, that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Arnold turned back around to him, dusting off his hands with a curious look to his friend.

"Yeah, I did want to congratulate you on getting the part, but now that you've actually got it, I wanted to know what's been going on with you two. I mean, I know you like two like to walk home together and all that, but I tried calling a few times after school, and the only person that ever answered was your grandpa, and every time he just said, 'Short man can't talk right now, he's too busy flirting with his little girlfriend with the pink bow and one eyebrow.' And then he'd do one of his crazy laughs and hang up. What the heck were you guys doing together for so long?" He raised an eyebrow.

"O-Oh, um..." Arnold blushed heavily. "We...we just rehearsed, we watched a couple of movies, we had dinner..."

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Arnold, is there somethin' you're not telling me? Come on man, you know you can. I won't tell."

"I-It's no big deal Gerald...well okay, maybe it is." Arnold admitted, bringing his arms behind his back. "Grandpa actually walked in on me and Helga...kissing."

"Oh well gee man, you should've just said so before and then-SAY WHAT?" Once more Gerald did a spit-take, but missed Arnold. "You and Helga were KISSING? Again?"

"Shh! Not so loud! It wasn't like that, Gerald! We were practising the kiss of the final scene, and Grandpa just walked in on us in the middle of it, that's all." Arnold waved his hands, shushing his best friend. "And he got the wrong idea, thinking that we...well, were together."

"Whoa, man. That must've been some kiss if your Grandpa thought you guys were together!" Gerald whistled. "Arnold, when are you just gonna tell her? You said yourself now, _finally_, that you're in love with her, so what are you waitin' for? Ask her out! She already went on a date with you once, right?"

"She forced me into it, Gerald, and to be honest I'm glad she did because we probably wouldn't be friends like we are now. And I do want to tell her Gerald, now that I know how I feel for sure, I really do, but... I just can't yet!" Arnold sighed, looking down at the floor. "It's not like if I'm being rejected by a girl I have a crush on. I'm _in love_ with Helga, I've never felt this way about a girl before, it's so much more than a crush I'd have and then be rejected! Sure, I've always been bummed with a girl I liked didn't like me back, but it was nothing compared to what could happen if Helga rejects me."

"I don't know, man, I think she might be pretty interested. If she's willing to kiss you like this, why not? Not many girl-boy buddies actually kiss like you guys seem to. I swear you're kissin' buddies or something!" Gerald shrugged, finishing his soda.

Arnold blushed at that, remembering Helga's comment from earlier, saying that if they were going to be "weirdo kissing friends", they may as well do it right. "I kind of entertained the idea, Gerald. That she might be interested in me, but I don't even know. I mean, if she was, wouldn't that kind of make us unbalanced?"

Gerald scratched his head. "I don't know, man...there are balances?"

"It's hard to explain." The football-headed boy waved it off. "Anyway, I asked Grandpa for some advice on what I could do, you know, after we were caught. He said that I should go with the flow, and try to get her warmed up to the idea of us maybe actually dating. It sounds easy enough, I guess it's all I can do."

"Mmm mmm mmm...that's good advice there, man. I think it might work! At least you're gonna do SOMETHING to try to win her instead of mopin' about it all the time."

"I don't mope about it!"

"Whatever you say, Arnold. So okay, how many times did you and her...lock your lips?" Gerald grimaced.

"...Six times, including before she left."

"SAY WHAT?"

"Gerald!"

XXX

"Six times?" Phoebe asked in astonishment, her eyes wide behind her glasses. "You two have kissed six times?"

"We did, Pheebs. We did!" Helga fell back on her bed, swooning happily. "Five times last night, and then I kissed him before I left, since he kissed me on the cheek! Hey, if we're gonna be weirdo kissing friends, may as well get it right, eh?"

Phoebe giggled. "Gosh, Helga. That's great, I'm sure that's all made you very happy."

"Happy doesn't even _begin _describe it, Pheebs! I'm so elated I think I died and went to Heaven! And like before, he's kissed me back! He never resisted!"

"Well Helga, maybe he really does like you more than you think, if he's willing to kiss you. I know he doesn't have much confidence in saying no, but, I know he wouldn't let himself get into that kind of situation if he didn't want it somehow."

Helga sighed, and sat up. "I don't even know, Pheebs, but apparently he likes to kiss me. Hey, I'm not complaining! ...Still, something weird happened last night. He said..." A blush crossed her face. "He said he loved me. But then said as a friend, you know, kind of like how you and I do as friends and how he and Gerald do, that kind of thing." She frowned lightly. "Pheebs...did I _ever_ say I love you?"

Phoebe shook her head. "No, and neither have I. Generally best friends don't express their friendly love for one another with 'I love you' since that phrase is often used among family or someone you're in love with. Yes, there are friends out there who openly say 'I love you' to each other, and that works for them, while others prefer to express how much they care about one another in other ways. The same goes even for couples, too."

Helga thought about that for a moment.

"What did you say in return, Helga?" Phoebe then asked.

"I uh...well, kind of said I loved him too." Helga admitted. "But even I know I didn't mean it the way he thought."

The Japanese girl pondered for a few moments, before speaking again. "Well Helga, maybe you should take a chance and try to win him over. You two are friends now, and he really seems to like you a lot, I can tell by the way he lights up when you enter a room-making sure no one else is looking-and seems elated when you two are together, so...why don't you try to win him over? Get him used to the idea of you two dating."

"I don't know, Phoebe. If I screw this up, I don't know what I'll do! It took so long for us to be friends like this, heck, even to be _kissing_. But dating? I know if I don't do something I'll lose him, and I don't know what'd be worse! I cherish my friendship with him, Pheebs, it's the closest I've ever gotten to him! If I tell him I love him, it'll screw it up! Sure, he'd be way too nice to say 'I hate you, go away' or anything like that, but...well, you know."

For a moment Phoebe observed her best friend, fairly surprised at how _dense_ she was for a change, how she wasn't able to see that Arnold was actually in love with her. She knew it for a while now, and had such an urge to tell her best friend straight out, but also wanted them to figure it out for themselves.

"Well Helga, if the time comes, you'll just know. You remember the first time you two kissed, after your date?" Phoebe reiterated.

Helga smiled dreamily. "Pheebs, that was the greatest moment of my LIFE! So far. And since then it's only gotten better. But why do you ask?"

"Tell me why you kissed him."

"Well, obviously because I _wanted_ to kiss him, heck, I've wanted to kiss him for as long as I can remember. But I don't know, something just came over me and it felt so right to kiss him."

Phoebe snapped her fingers and smiled. "You see, Helga? The time was right, and you just _knew_ it. Well, I believe that if the moment comes that you admit you love him, with _no_ cover-up, you'll know. Just as you had done the night before."

XXX

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Gerald continued to have his mental breakdown.

"SIX TIMES? SIX TIMES?" Gerald bugged out, dropping his yahoo soda can on the ground.

"Gerald, please be quiet!" Arnold continued to try and hush him, grabbing his friend by the shoulders.

"ARNOLD!" The tables were turned as Gerald grabbed Arnold's shoulders in return, throwing Arnold's arms off in the process. He looked him straight in the eye. "Arnold, are you nuts? How much more proof do you need that she likes you?"

"Ger-"

"Seriously, man! Are you CRAZY? You're standing here telling me you don't know if she likes you after coming off of a night full of practically none-stop kissing?"

"Gerald! It wasn't-"

"I mean, SIX TIMES? And in ONE NIGHT?"

"Well, actually-"

"What is WRONG with you, man?" He shook him.

"Gerald!" Arnold switched it back around again and grabbed his friend by the shoulders, telling him quickly and firmly, "It was NOT like that! We were just rehearsing for the play!"

"SIX TIMES?" Gerald yelled incredulously, his eyes wide still.

"YES, okay? It's an important scene, and we just wanted to get it right. Well... Okay, one of those times we just ended up doing it on a bet, and one of them happened just this morning because Helga said that if we were going to be some weirdo kissing friends, then we might as well do it right. But that one was just a fluke, too, because I know she was just playing around with me. It wasn't serious. NONE of them were. They just sorta happened."

"Yeah, kinda like every other kiss that's ever gone on between you two." Gerald rolled his eyes, and Arnold let go of his shoulders since it seemed that he'd gotten himself under control now.

"I-I guess so..." Arnold muttered with a small blush, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Arnold, girls don't just kiss their guy friends unless there's a legitimate reason behind it... Like they like you, for example." Gerald hinted at, eyeing his friend.

Arnold sighed, his hand falling from the back of his neck as he replied yet again, "I told you, Gerald, for a little while I did entertain the idea that she might like me, but that's just me. I can't know for sure. This whole unrequited love stuff is just getting to me a little, that's all."

"'Unrequited love'?" Gerald quoted back in confusion, raising an eyebrow. "Man, you read too much."

Arnold sighed at him, deciding not to respond to that and just continuing on with what he was saying, "Anyway, even if she did like me, a relationship would still be kind of weird between us because our feelings would be unbalanced. It just wouldn't work."

"There you go with that unbalanced junk again. What the heck are you talking about?"

"It's complicated, Gerald." Arnold told him again, wanting to move on.

"Oh no, I want to know what you're talking about right now, Arnold." He put his hands on his hips, giving his friend a stern look, letting him know he was serious.

Arnold sighed, a little upset that he had to recount the unfortunate situation. "Fine. I'm just saying, that if I'm in love with her, but she just has a little crush on me, and we ended up going out, how could a relationship possibly work? The feelings would be 'unbalanced.'"

"Ohhh..." Gerald frowned in understanding, scratching his large stack of hair. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Exactly. Another reason why I should just go with Grandpa's advice and get her warmed up to the idea of us being together... try and get her to, well..." He blushed, rubbing his arm as he finished, "...to fall in love with me. And if the time comes that I feel like it's time to tell her, then I'll... admit to her that I'm in love with her... But that won't come for a while." He waved it off with a shrug.

Gerald quirked his mouth to one side, shrugging his shoulders. "Whatever you say, Arnold. But I'm tired of talking about all this love stuff. I invited you over here to hang out and have fun. So can we please change the subject now?"

Arnold smiled, more than willing to have some fun with his best friend so he could get the rather complicated situation involving the object of his affections off of his mind for a while. "Sure, Gerald."  
"Hmmm..." Helga mulled that over for a moment, scratching her chin. She looked back at her friend then, smiling a little. "Huh, I guess you're right, Pheebs. But I don't know about me knowing it was the right time or anything. It just sorta... happened." She sighed, falling back on her bed again and staring up at her ceiling. "But I guess you're right, Pheebs. I'll just have to keep doing what I'm doing with him, and then when the time is right, tell him." She winced at the very idea of it, but luckily Phoebe didn't notice.

"Exactly, Helga." Phoebe beamed at her, hoping that with time the two of them would open their eyes and realize they both loved each other soon... E_ither that, or have one of them end up confessing... but that probably wouldn't be happening any time soon_, Phoebe thought with a mental sigh. 

XXX

Finally, the big night of the play finally came. After the days turned-weeks of rehearsing, either together or separately, it was the big night. The night that they would perform as the famous forbidden, star-crossed (albeit portrayed out of satire) lovers of their characters.

Now it was time. And they felt nervous, not just the jitters of performing in front of a live audience, but also the fact that they were going to kiss right in front of everyone. The whole school, and parents alike. It was not going to be easy, but at the same time they did still inwardly thank Mr. Simmons and Eugene for allowing them this chance. Hey, they got to kiss quite a few times because of it! But after tonight, it would be over. They would go back to their normal lives. Or at least...as normal as their lives were now, being best friends and all. But they would have no real excuse to share a kiss if they wanted to. Not unless they went by Helga's analogy of "Weirdo kissing friends", which would be kind of interesting and weird. Would that work? Neither of them seemed to know.

Still, they would always savour those moments. Even if they may not have an excuse later on...unless they _finally_ confessed.

Oh well.

This brings us to tonight. The night of the play. So far, the performance itself was going quite well. The costumes Sheena had designed were lovely, and really comfortable, so the entire cast were comfortable in their clothing and actually looked the part at the same time.

Meanwhile, it did work that Helga could actually show Arnold she loved him without him knowing the truth, and Arnold felt that way too, despite that it also killed them both inside to have to lie, and use the love their characters had for each other as a disguise.

Still, it worked!

The scene they were performing now was in the garden together, and talking, ironically, about kissing.

Arnold did sometimes stumble, either out of nervousness or actually forgetting his lines, but overall, he was doing very well. All the practice (and the fact he did truly love her) really helped and now he was doing quite well. Helga was impressed at how he was able to seem as if he really loved her, he really was better than he gave himself credit for. For those fleeting moments, it was as if they truly were mutually in love.

"_If I profane with my unworthiest hand. This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss._" Arnold said as passionately and lovingly as he could, trying not to blush all the while.

"_Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,_" Helga replied, blushing a bit as they exchanged the loving dialogue, trying to stay in character. "_Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss._"

"_Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?_"

"_Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer._"

"_O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair._"

By now Arnold stepped closer to Helga, and she did too, and they looked at one another with intensity, but sweet soft love, under the guise of being in-character.

"_Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake._" Helga recited, suppressing a shiver.

"_Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged._" Arnold took another step closer to her, looking into her piercing azure eyes, feeling as if they were the only ones in the world now. Everything seemed to disappear, to no longer matter.

"_Then have my lips the sin that they took_."

"_Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again_."

Despite that it wasn't in the script, the two were lost in the moment, and just couldn't help but lean in toward each other, doing exactly as their characters were talking about, feeling as if they _were_ Romeo and Juliet, forbidden lovers just finally taking the time to express their love.

But then came Lila, playing the nurse, out onto the stage and interrupted them. "_Madam, your mother craves a word with you_." She said to Helga, smiling sweetly at the two of them.

Both Arnold and Helga stepped apart from each other, blushing furiously and unable to believe that they were literally just about to kiss! Then again, it seemed to work in a way, despite that Romeo and Juliet kissed in the unabridged version of the play during this scene, so it seemed a perfect way to downplay it would be to have a near-kiss. Mr. Simmons was giving the two a thumbs-up from backstage, indicating that they were doing great.

They just hoped they could manage, until THAT scene would come.

XXX

Later into the play, finally came to be close to the final scene. Even the audience seemed to be anticipating the fateful kiss. Wondering if they would actually go through with it, or chicken out, or make it a half-hearted peck. No one seemed to know. Heck, neither of the kids in question knew!

But they knew they had to make it convincing, even if it meant having to actually kiss in front of their peers.

It was now the scene where Romeo discovered Juliet comatose, believed to be dead.

"_A grave? O no! a lantern, slaughter'd youth, for here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence full of light. O my love! My wife!_" Arnold cried in despair, as if Helga WERE actually dead. The thought was horrible to think of, but it helped. "_Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath,  
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty: Thou art not conquer'd; beauty's ensign yet. Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, and death's pale flag is not advanced there. From this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss. A dateless bargain to engrossing death! Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! Here's to my love!_"

He then took the plastic goblet, and pretended to drink from it.

"_O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss..._"

A moment passed, and Arnold walked over to her, fighting back the urge to tear up, and was about to reach for her hand to kiss it, but as he looked at her, her serene "sleeping" face as she lay there, as if comatose, or in Romeo's eyes, dead, perfectly still and soft. His heart pounded, and a strange impulse came over him. It made him think back to when he'd talked to Mr. Simmons about the scene, where he had expressed that it made no sense; why would Romeo be more bent on finishing his thought that kissing Juliet one last time before he died, because he would never have a chance to do so again?

"_Mr. Simmons, I think it would make more sense if Romeo were to kiss Juliet before he died instead of finishing his thought. I mean...he thinks Juliet is dead, and he's about to die too, so wouldn't he rather kiss her one last time?"_ He had said.

"_Hmm...you know Arnold, I never thought of that. But if you wanted to make it easier, you could always go and kiss her hand, so you won't have to be too uncomfortable."_ Mr. Simmons had replied.

"_That's what I figured I could do, that sounds fine to me."_

He had planned and rehearsed all along that he would kiss her hand. To add to the sincerity and tragic romance of the scene.

But that wasn't what happened.

Instead, Arnold leaned down to his beloved, and kissed her softly on the lips. He could hear the audience gasp, and Mr. Simmons gasp from backstage, but not a sound was heard. Helga stiffened in surprise at his action, and he imagined that her eyes were wide open, but she then relaxed and kissed him back, not moving a muscle.

He then pulled away, and her eyes were open again, staring at him with question. He smiled at her lovingly, and then stepped back, stumbling a bit and finishing his line.

"..._I die_." And with an agonized groan, fell back onto the prop tombstone steps.

Seeing him fall, Helga quickly closed her eyes again, playing dead best she could despite her insanely fluttering heart.

Stinky walked in then, saying his lines in his usual Southern accent,"Romeo! Oh, pale! Who else? What, Paris too, and steeped in blood! Ah, what an unkind hour is guilty of this lamentable chance!"

Thus was her cue to wake up, and so she opened her eyes, trying to calm her heart with a few deep breaths before she sat up with an, "Ahhhh..." and rubbed one eye with her fist.

"The lady stirs!" Stinky spoke out, informing the crowd of the obvious.

Helga looked to Stinky, acting as if she'd just woken up. "Ah... Oh, comfortable friar, where is my lord?" She looked about the tomb. "I do remember well where I should be, and there I am." She looked back to Stinky, saying out the first thing that would undoubtedly come to Juliet's mind when she first awoke, "Where is my Romeo?"

Stinky took a step towards her, gesturing for her to come. "Come, come away!" He gestured down to Arnold with both arms then as he informed her, "Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead," Helga gasped, acting shocked as she got off of her makeshift bed and kneeled down by 'Romeo,' as Stinky merely continued, "and Paris too. Stay not to question, for the watch is coming. Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay."

"Go, get thee hence, for I will not away!" Helga cried out in sorrow, cradling Arnold's head in her hands.

"Okie-Dokie," Stinky replied in a very Stinky-like manner, leaving the stage now.

"What's here?" She leaned down and picked up the cup still being held in Arnold's limp hand. "A cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end: O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips;" She brought a finger to tenderly touch his lips, making Arnold stiffen a bit in her arms from the pleasant shock it sent through him. Helga didn't seem to notice, as she stared down at his blank, slightly frowning face, and despite herself, the sight made a few tears come to her eyes and run down her cheeks. "Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die with a restorative."

Everyone in the audience watched with rapt attention as she leaned down, ever so slowly to his lips, before gently pressing her own to his, still just gently cradling his head in her hands.

Arnold suppressed a shudder at the soft, loving contact, his own lips involuntarily beginning to kiss back, though it was kind of hard to tell from the distance the audience was sitting that he was (Luckily). He stayed limp, even going a bit limper in her arms and having difficulties not just melting onto the stage from how well she was acting as if she loved him with her kiss.

Helga continued to kiss him, inwardly rejoicing at how he was kissing her back, and it just made her so happy that she just had to prolong it further... kissing him a little deeper and feeling exceptionally happy that it fit in with the script since she was supposed to be trying to 'suck some poison from his lips.'

Arnold kissed her deeper in return, their lips smashing together in passion...

They continued to kiss, giving all the love they could give to each other...

And kiss...

And kiss...

And kiss some more...

Until finally, the memory of everyone teasing them for liking each other from way back when this entire crazy thing between them got started came back to Helga's mind, and she immediately snapped her lips away from his, breathing heavily though she tried to hide it as she said her lines, "Yea, noise?" She let go of Arnold's head in her panic (Both genuine and in her acting), and his head slammed down onto the steps with a small grunt of pain (What happened to the love?). "Then I'll be brief!" She grabbed up Romeo's dagger from the ground, holding it up to her chest as she recited dramatically, "O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die!" She lunged the plastic dagger onto her chest, letting out some noises of anguish and pain and taking a step down on the steps as she did so... before finally, she just fell down and landed backwards right on top of Arnold's body.

The curtains closed then, leaving the two of them laying on top of each other in the shadows.

Arnold kept his eyes closed for a little longer as she lay against him, her struggling to get up, and him still silently wondering what the heck happened. One second they're kissing lovingly and affectionately and wonderfully and perfectly (And oh, why did it have to end?), and the next thing he knew the precious contact was removed abruptly and his head was slamming painfully against the stairs.

He felt Helga finally manage to get off of him, though he just stayed on the ground with his eyes closed, sorta thinking that maybe if he focused hard enough he could go back in time to that moment.

"Football Head, are you okay?" He heard Helga ask in concern, sounding rather close.

He opened his eyes after a moment of hesitation, seeing her shadowy face looking down at him with concern and her body kneeled down to look at him better. His lips trembled a moment, before he managed a reassuring smile and he sat up on his elbows slightly. "I'm fine."

"Hey there you two, we need to get up for the bows." They heard Stinky's Southern drawl suddenly directed at them, and they looked over to see Stinky across the stage holding hands with all the other cast members.

"Oh, right." Helga said then, realizing he was right as she stood up again and grabbed Arnold's hand, pulling him up.

The two of them walked over to the rest of them and grabbed hands, both making sure to stand right next to each other in the line up so they could hold hands.

The curtains opened then, revealing a crowd in tears and clapping rapidly in utter appreciation. Both nine-year-olds were taken aback by this.

"I guess we did alright, Helga." Arnold said pleasantly to her, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I guess so, huh?" Helga responded, observing all the tearful, smiling faces in the crowd.

The time came that they had to bow, and so they did. Once they were up again, Arnold replied, still glancing at her, "Judging by everyones' reactions, I'd say we definitely did." He looked across the crowd again with pleasant surprise, a small smile on his lips.

"Mmmm-hmm,"

They bowed again. Then Arnold decided to ask the question that kept nagging at his brain, making sure to be quiet since they were right in front of the entire school practically, "But why did you end the kiss so abruptly like that?"

"It had to end sometime, Football Head." Helga stated dismissively, hoping he'd get that this was not the time nor place to ask that question.

"Yeah, but-" He apparently didn't.

"Look, I'll explain later, Arnold, just..." They bowed again, and Helga glanced over at him with a meaningful look while they were still bent over. "...not now."

Arnold then, deciding not to argue, just nodded and gave her a good-natured smile. "Whatever you say, Helga."

Satisfied, she playfully smirked. "Darn right, Football Head. Whatever I say." She then faced the crowd as they bowed once more, and let a soft swoon escape her.

XXX

Backstage, Mr. Simmons gathered the cast together to offer his praise and opinion of their performance, all the while wiping tears from his eyes with his handkerchief.

"Everyone, that was just wonderful! You truly brought the audience to tears in all of this, and performed just beautifully! There may have been some slip-ups here and there, but overall this play went so much better than I expected! Bravo, everyone!" He clapped for them.

"Oh, but it was nothing!" Curly took off his hat and bowed dramatically. "I only hope to have been wonderful in the eyes of my beautiful Princess!"

"Boy howdy, it was real long! And all that mushiness...still, the action was great!" Said Sid.

"Willikers, I had trouble with my bald cap!" Stinky tried to get his bald cap off, but with no success. "Aw, shucks."

"I'm oh too certain it was just ever so wonderful, Mr. Simmons!" Lila said happily. "I ever so certainly enjoyed the play and being a part of it! I felt just oh so comfortable in front of an audience!"

"You were all wonderful!" Mr. Simmons pocketed his handkie, and turned to the two main stars of the play. "Arnold and Helga...my goodness, your special performances were phenomenal! With your amazing chemistry and the way you just managed to portray the love Romeo and Juliet had for each other, it seemed so genuine and true! And your heartfelt kisses at the end, which I must say was quite surprising, especially you taking the chance and kissing her like that, Arnold! You two did great, amazing!"

"Well, you know..." Helga shrugged. "Acting's all about motivation."

"Thanks, Mr. Simmons, we did our best." Arnold said, smiling a little nervously.

The other students began to pile out as Mr. Simmons made some final comments, and then pulled Arnold aside for a moment as he was getting ready to leave. Helga, who happened to be nearby, listened in curiously, wondering what they were talking about.

Meanwhile, Mr. Simmons queried Arnold, keeping his voice low so as not to embarrass the poor boy. "Tell me Arnold, and this is simply because I'm curious, but why did you kiss her right on the lips? You really didn't have to, only she had to in the end."

"Well..." Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a bit. "I thought a lot about it, and about what we've all talked about during rehearsals...that if Romeo only had one chance left to kiss Juliet before he died, he would have done it in a way to show he really loved her. So...I guess I kind of wanted to incorporate that feeling into it." It was partially the truth, but he sure wasn't about to tell his own teacher that he had only done it in order to kiss Helga again. And because it practically fit, it was a bonus.

"Mm-hm..." Mr. Simmons rubbed his chin in thought. "That's a good point, Arnold! And way to get things going for the final scene, I have to say that was brave of you, not a lot of boys your age would do that."

"I-I guess...I like challenges." Arnold admitted.

This was when Helga chose to step in, clearing her throat. "Hey Arnold! You ready yet? You _did_ promise to walk me out." By that she meant walk her home, but was keeping it on the down low.

Arnold blinked. "I-I was?"

"Yes. Now move it!"

Mr. Simmons chuckled at the two of them, smiling knowingly behind his hand. He knew there was something going on between them, heck, he had known that Helga had a crush on Arnold since the beginning, and that Arnold had recently come around and had a crush on her too. But of course, he kept it quiet and just quietly observed, thinking deep down that they would make a cute couple. It was especially fun to see them interact like this.

"Well I won't keep you two waiting any longer, I'll see you two in class tomorrow! Great job once again!" Mr. Simmons said, and waved to them as he walked off across the stage to go talk to Gerald and Phoebe.

Arnold looked back at Helga, blushing a bit. "You-You wanted me to walk you outside."

"No, silly. I want you to walk me home." Helga stated nonchalantly.

"R-Really?" His eyes widened hopefully.

"Um, doi! Of course! Now come on, let's go!"

She turned and headed toward the back door, and Arnold stood there a few moments, blinking a few times, before following after her like a puppy.

_Maybe I'll get to kiss her goodnight..._

With that, Arnold walked Helga home, as they usually did for a long time now. Just as always, they exchanged fun conversation and laughter, telling jokes and stories, and talking about random things. It wasn't long before they made it back to Helga's home, which had come all too soon for them. But of course Arnold promised to pick her up the next morning so they could do their usual walk to school together plan. That was something to look forward to.

Did they share a goodnight kiss?

They did.

Which Helga deemed as, "To make up for ending it so abruptly back on stage", and pretty much left them both breathless.

What would come next with these two?

No one knew. Not even them.


	4. Dinner For Four

**A/N:**

**NintendoGal55: Hello one and all, and welcome back to our latest instalment in our parody...if you can call it that, episodes! Today's awesome episode is "Dinner For Four"! What, oh what, kind of hilarious madness will escalate today?**

**SuprSingr: I have NOOOOO ide'r. :B But my best guess is a lot of flirting! XD :D**

**Disclaimer: For the LAST SMEGGING TIME, we do NOT own Hey Arnold! or any of the characters. All of this belongs to Craig Bartlett, Nickelodeon, and Viacom. PLEASE SUPPORT THE OFFICIAL RELEASE!/What she said. I'm just here to look perty. X3**

**AxHxAxHxAxHxA**

"And the third prize goes to...Helga Pataki!" Mr. Simmons gleefully announced to the assembly crowd. Or lack thereof, given that there weren't many students in the auditorium at the moment.

Helga jumped in surprise in her seat, unable to believe she had actually WON something, and for this cause no less. A few rows down, where Arnold sat with Gerald, she saw him looking over at her with a big grin, giving her a thumbs-up in congratulations. She immediately turned her head away as she blushed madly, but kept her composure as she marched up onto the stage to collect whatever the heck was in store as a prize. That was her plan. Take it and go, moving right along. She just wanted to get out of here and walk home with Arnold already!

"A coupon for a free dinner for four at Chez Pierre!" Mr. Simmons announced, holding the coupon to Helga as she came up to the podium. "Congratulations, Helga!"

"Yeah yeah, thanks." Helga muttered, taking the coupon from him as she proceeded to walk backstage. "Dinner for four at some fancy-schmancy French restaurant...hmph! Just what I need." She grumbled to herself.

As she passed the red curtains, Helga blinked as she realized something. _Dinner for four_. She and three other people could dine out. In a fancy French restaurant, in a practically romantic setting. If she were, let's say, to dine with Phoebe, who would invite Gerald, who would invite Arnold...she could dine with Arnold! And he wouldn't suspect a thing! He'd figure she invited them to have a fun friendly outing all four of them together.

"Wait a minute...it IS what I need! A perfect excuse to dine with Arnold, and with our best friends there with us, he wouldn't suspect a thing! It's perfect! And not to mention I could even impress him with how utterly sophisticated I can be! Oh, it'll be just our first date! Except ten times better!" Helga wrapped the curtain around herself in excitement as her idea came flowing to her mind, as well as the fond memories of their first date back at Chez Paris. "I'll get him and our carefully picked stooges to come with me, namely Gerald and Phoebe... It's perfect! And he won't be any the wiser..." She smiled gleefully before tucking the coupon into her pocket. "Now that my plan is set, I just gotta find a way to invite Arnold without actually inviting him myself."

As she left, a thought occurred to her, and that was when the first part of her plan was put into action.

In the name of her little best friend, Phoebe.

**AxHxAxHxAxHxA**

Phoebe, smiling happily as she walked up to her locker, opened it up and prepared to put her math book back in when-

_SLAM!_

"Phoebe," and suddenly Helga was standing in front of her now closed locker, her finger pointed at her authoratively, "you're coming to dinner with me on Saturday night," She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression clearly showing she was dead serious as she continued, "five o' clock at a fancy French restaurant."

"I am?" Phoebe had to ask, a bit shocked at having all this suddenly thrown at her.

Helga just continued, "And you're gonna invite Gerald, and then you're gonna ask Gerald to invite a _friend_, see?"

And that was when it all became clear to Phoebe, her entire plan. She smiled. "Inviting!"

**AxHxAxHxAxHxA**

"So just you, me, heh... Helga, and whoever you'd like to invite to come along... like say your best friend?" She grinned on the other side of the phone line.

Gerald, currently in his house and holding the phone, couldn't help but roll his eyes a little at how glad he knew Arnold was gonna be about all this. He had to just cringe, really, just thinking about it. "Yeah..." He said a bit flatly. "Great. Thanks for the invitation, Phoebe. Me and my _friend_ will be there."

He heard Phoebe utter her goodbyes, and the line go dead, before he hung up the phone. And as soon as he did, he groaned. "Have mercy on me. Arnold's gonna have a cow... and I'm gonna have to be the one to deal with it." He slid a hand down his face. Of all of Arnold's crushes, Helga was definitely THE worst of the bunch. Just being around Arnold for more than five seconds during his lovesick ramblings was nearly unbearable.

"Oh well..." Gerald said, trying to keep his cool. "Might as well get it over with." He picked up the phone and dialed Arnold's number to meet him at Gerald Field for a walk... possibly the most nauseating walk Gerald was ever going to go on.

**AxHxAxHxAxHxA**

Just as he'd thought, it was. On the other hand, at least he had some material to change the target of the situation they were talking about. After all, Gerald really wanted to try some of the things that French restaurants served. Like the blue, moldy, runny cheese they had. It sounded disgusting to most, but he was admittedly intrigued by it. And for that matter, it actually looked like a piece of yummy chocolate in comparison to Arnold's upcoming lovesick ramblings.

"So yeah, Phoebe said she could invite a friend, I guess that's me, and for me to invite a _friend_ to that French restaurant dinner thingy Helga won. Saturday night at five, apparently." Gerald tried to be cool about it, but was bracing himself for the lovefest.

Arnold blinked a few times as he took in what Gerald was saying. Helga was inviting Phoebe, who invited Gerald, who invited him, to go out to dinner on Saturday night. That meant dining with Helga. With Gerald and Phoebe too, of course, but Helga most of all! In a fancy French restaurant. Just like back on their first (and sadly last) date. Even if they wouldn't be alone, it still would be...magical. To see Helga dressed in elegant splendor, her big blue eyes shimmering with happiness and passion in the candlelight, her hair falling all along her face and shoulders, her sweet lips coated with lipstick...

It was all it took for Arnold not to go into a lovesick stupor. His eyes went half-lidded, a goofy smile came to his face, and he was just gone.

Gerald sighed, shaking his head. "Hey Arnold, wake up! Come on man, stay with me here!"

"Oh!" Arnold snapped out of it and shook his head. "Sorry, Gerald. I uh...I mean...well, that's great! I'm sure it'll be interesting. I'll go."

"How did I see that coming?" Gerald rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man. I can't wait to try out that moldy, runny cheese those French people like so much!"

"Why would you want to eat moldy, runny cheese?" Arnold grimaced, his lovesick thoughts swept from his mind.

"I don't want to eat it! I just wanna look at it!" Gerald grinned.

Arnold made a bit of a groaning sound of distaste at the back of his mouth, and shook his head, just trying to forget about anything having to do with... cheese. He shuddered a little. "Whatever, Gerald. But I'm not going for the cheese at all, I'm going for-"

"Yeah, yeah, Helga." Gerald said, fluttering his eyelashes as he mocked him in an overly sappy voice, "You're going so you can act all sophisticated and charm Helga with your lack of knowledge of anything having to do with fancy food. And she'll be SO swept off her feet by the entire thing that she'll fall madly in love with you and you can live happily ever after!" Once finished with his mocking, he cut the sappy look all together and just laughed out loud.

Arnold, though, didn't look annoyed in the least. In fact, he almost looked... intrigued, shocked... just plain mesmerized, actually, so much so that he even stopped in his walking. "Gerald... that's genius!" The grin finally sprung out on his face. "I was just going to say I was going for the culture, but that's even better! Gerald, I can get cleaned up in my best, sweep Helga off her feet, and she'll finally be mine!" He was grinning SO much.

Gerald's thoroughly pwned face slowly faded out of Arnold's vision, his mind being overtaken by daydreams...

"Wow, Arnold, I never knew you were so... sophisticated." Helga grinned across from him, dressed in some frilly, sparkling pink gown with her hair falling over her shoulders and her big pink bow sparkling atop her head. Her face shone in the candle light.

Arnold smiled with half-lidded eyes, leaning across the table to take her hands in his. "Well, the last time we came here it was so unexpected, I didn't really know what to say or how to act around you, Helga. But now that we're such good friends, I feel comfortable enough to show you this side of me... kinda like how you got comfortable enough to show me the real side of you." He kissed her hand.

And of course, Helga melted at that and giggled nearly uncontrollably. "Oh, you..." She waved him off with the hand he hadn't just kissed and pushed a lock of hair out of her face, still holding back more giggles. "I must say Arnold, you're so witty and sophisticated, and so full of culture and class! I cannot help that I've just fallen madly in love with you!"

"And I you, my beautiful Angel." Arnold murmured tenderly, leaning toward her. "I've never met someone as wonderful and passionate as you, and I refuse to let you slip away further any longer."

"Oh _Arnold_...you wondrous soul! Kiss me." Helga puckered her pink, sparkling lips.

"I'm happy to oblige." Arnold murmured and leaned in to close the gap between them...

"Arnold! Hey Arnold! Would ya quit with your daydreaming already?" Gerald shouted, breaking his train of thought and daydream.

"Sorry, Gerald." Arnold mumbled as he regained himself. "I-I guess I'm getting a little carried away."

"I'll say!" Gerald rolled his eyes. "Not one sentence outta your mouth doesn't relate to Helga anymore, I swear."

"Hey...I talk about other things!" Arnold argued, looking away. "It's just... she's on my mind and I can't help talking about her a lot."

"Whatever you say, Arnold." Gerald rolled his eyes again. "Just try not to jump her at the restaurant, okay? I think we got enough goin' on without THAT kind of thing happening."

"Hey, I have more control than that!"

"I'm just sayin'..."

Arnold frowned a bit further, a small scowl in his eyes. "I wouldn't jump her..."

"But you'd want to." Gerald pointed out.

Arnold just sighed at that, conceding, "Fine, yes, but I WOULDN'T. I have much more self control than that, and plus, me suddenly throwing myself at her would kinda ruin the whole sophisticated, classy front I'll be putting up."

"I don't know about this, man." Gerald confessed, looking over at him. "Do you really think Helga is going to go for you being all sophisticated? Does she even LIKE sophisticated guys?"

"Well, why wouldn't she?" Arnold tossed back, shrugging. "Although I've got to admit, it is kind of funny Helga is taking us to some fancy restaurant..."

Helga appeared out of a trash can right at that point, listening in closely.

Gerald, not noticing Helga, just asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

Arnold scratched his arm a little, looking down. "Well, I don't know. Helga isn't exactly the most sophisticated person there is. She asked me just yesterday if I wanted to go spit in the river with her."

Gerald scrunched his face up. "Ew, man. It amazes me that she's even a girl. Spitting, scowling, punching. She's like the exact opposite of sophistication."

By this time, they were far enough away that Helga couldn't hear them anymore. Helga stood up out of the trash can, looking sad. "So... Arnold really doesn't think I'm sophisticated... at all?" She got out of the trash can, still holding the lid in her hands. She sat down on the ground, staring at the garbage can lid absent-mindedly. "So he only sees me as a friend because... I don't act like a girl. I'm like one of his guy friends or something?" She grimaced majorly at the idea of that. Immediately after, though, a look of conviction came to her face and she stood up, trash can lid still in hand. "Well, fine then, if Arnold wants a sophisticated young woman, then that's what he's going to get. No more acting like a BOY!" She threw the trash can lid like a frisbee, agressively, and it soared across the sky... and then hit a wall and made a direct drop down, a cat screeching in pain. Helga ignored all this, though, rubbing her hands together as she walked away. "Say goodbye to old rock-chucking, river-spitting Helga G. Pataki, and hello to the new and improved more sophisticated, feminine _Helga Pataki_." She went running off down the street then, plans already forming in her head.

Meanwhile...

"No, she's not, Gerald." Arnold defended, eyes dreamy. "She's sophisticated, just not in a fancy French restaurant kind of way, you know? But she's got such a wide vocabulary, and she always knows JUST how to put something to have it make the most sense as possible, she's a wonderful actress, and loves poetry and literature, and can be so passionate about them. And she's..." He chuckled lovesickly. "she's... _definitely_ not a boy, Gerald..."

**AxHxAxHxAxHxAxH**

Helga inserted a casset tape into her stereo, which came with a large teddy bear holding either side of it. A fun gift, she had to admit. Not that anyone at school were to know, of course. The tape was to teach you how to be sophisticated in a fancy restaurant. She had set up a small table in her bedroom, with a few chairs, and using stuffed animals and dolls to serve as Gerald, Phoebe, and Arnold. Although her "Arnold" was a football with buttons on it, a mouth drawn on, and some feathers stuck on for the hair.

The table was set with plates and silverware, as all part of the practice for Saturday night.

"_Do not be intimidated by cutlery._ " Said the recorded voice on the tape in a thick French accent."_Forks on ze left, knives of ze right, spoons on the right, on the right of the knives._"

"Okay, okay...uh...salad fork, dinner fork, butter knife, steak knife..." Helga listed off the silverware to make sure she had them all, hoping she was even DOING this right.

"_And remember to laugh engagingly. Hohoho!_ "

"Ahahaha..." Helga mimicked, trying to sound all cool and witty with her laughter. _At least it's not evil..._

"_Snap your linen napkin before you place it on your lap._ "

"Easy enough." Helga said to herself as she took the napkin in front of her, waving it to snap it in the air before placing it on her lap.

"_Then turn to your dining companions and say 'Lovely little bistro, nest-ce pas?'._ "

Helga turned to one of her dolls and gave a witty smirk, following along with the instruction. "Ah, lovely little bistro, ness paw?"

"_Very good. Now you are becoming sophisticated._ "

"Heh, this fancy stuff's a piece of cake. Just wait until Saturday..." Helga grinned to herself, feeling much more excited about the upcoming dinner for four. "Ah...it's going to be perfect..."

**AxHxAxHxAxHxAxHxAxH**

"Can't believe I'm doin' this..." Gerald groaned to himself.

"Come on Gerald, you know a lot about impressing a girl, there must be something I can do and say to sound sophisticated and fancy." Arnold practically pleaded.

"Well for one thing, you gotta be all cool and calm at all times." Gerald said. "Chicks dig gentlemen who work well even under pressure. And you gotta do the purr."

"The purr, Gerald? Do I really have to purr?" Arnold groaned, recalling the last time he'd been told to do that. "But Helga will think I'm just being silly! She'll laugh and probably do it right back, thinking I'm trying to act like an animal!"

"Trust me man, chicks dig the purr. Don't you remember? _My fair senorita_, and then you just purr."

Arnold rolled his eyes and turned back to his mirror. "My fair _Senorita_, hrrrr."

"That's the spirit, man!" Gerald patted his back. "And you gotta treat her like a woman. Kiss her hand, call her Miss, talk to her like she's real smart!"

"Okay..." Arnold was now already daydreaming about kissing her hand and praising about how wonderfully intelligent she was and seeing her bat her eyelashes in response...

"Stay with me!" Gerald nudged him. "Okay man, another thing you gotta do is no slouching! You gotta sit up straight and show you're real proper."

"I can do that." Arnold stood up straight, hands on his hips and grinning.

"No no no! You don't grin like an idiot! You smile, like this." Gerald showed him a simple, closed-mouth smile.

"Okay." Arnold smiled the way he did, trying to look relaxed.

"Now you're gettin' it. And you gotta be confident! Sophisticated gentlemen are all about confidence, man." Gerald went on. "And say big words, all those big poetic words, things Phoebe would say! Like...uh...antides...uh... that weirdo big word they use in spelling bees to scare kids!"

"Antidestablishedmentarianism." Arnold put in, now studying his hair. "Should I do something about my hair?"

"Nah man, a part of being sophisticated is to be a little unique!" Gerald shook his head. "Who says you can't have a little flare?"

"I guess you're right, I'll probably just make sure to extra-shampoo it."

"Whatever you say, Arnold... Anyway, you also gotta just bring in your gentleman tendencies and be twice as much of a gentleman. Then I think you're good to go!"

Arnold turned back to his mirror, and began to practice a bit. "Hello Miss Pataki, how are you this evening? Oh, you're doing well? Splendid! You look absolutely ravishing tonight. My fair _Senorita_, hrrrrr."

Gerald shook his head and palmed his face. "This is gonna be a long Saturday..."

**AxHxAxHxAxHxAxHxAxH**

Finally, it was Saturday evening, and both Arnold and Helga were freaking out...

But ultimately, with their goals to be sophisticated for one another, it was all it took for them to keep their composures as much as possible. The four of them all met up at Chez Paris, having arrived separately, just as planned. They were all dressed as formal as possible for the evening. Even if Helga was the one who went all out the most, with Arnold as a close second (for a male's side of being formal, of course).

Helga wore a floor-length, pink sleeveless dress, accompanied by matching shoes, and full-length white gloves. Some of her hair was piled high onto her head, free from their pigtails, with the rest fallng along her shoulders in a light wave. Along with that was a silver headband, and a white purse.

For the most part,she looked pretty. No one outside of school would've recognized her if not for her unibrow. Even that just seemed to add to the charm she was putting on.

Arnold (completely fascinated by Helga's appearance) was in a plain darker gray suit, a white button-down shirt, and a red bow tie, with black pants, and matching dark gray shoes. Of course with his little hat perched on his head, exactly where it always was. Formal or not, he never went anywhere without his hat. Hey, who said sophisticated gentlemen couldn't wear little hats?

And as for Helga, she was just plain mesmerized by Arnold's appearance. Of course, she didn't show it on the outside, but inwardly she was captivated with him the moment she laid her eyes on him... but then again, that was true just on a regular basis. But she felt extra captivated by him tonight. He looked very smart and handsome in his suit, and his hair looked extra lucious tonight. Oh, how she wished to run her hands through those two tall stalks of cornflower hair...

But of course, her goal tonight was not to freak him out or throw herself at him like the desperate, lovesick girl she knew she was... Her goal tonight, ironically, was to do just the opposite. She was going to play hard to get, she wanted to come across as the beautiful, mysterious, feminine creature that he was friends with, but was only just realizing her romantic potential... And in order to do that, she had to be cool and calm and sophisticated as possible... without letting him know she was totally hitting on him the whole time.

Gerald and Phoebe both exchanged glances with one another, the mutual "eye-roll" looks clearly indicating how they knew that their respective best friends were hitting on each other without it seeming like they were doing so. It of course made them both want to just expose everything and for them to see the truth, and to stop this crazy thing.

Of course, Phoebe knew better than to do that, and Gerald knew he'd regret it if he did that too. They knew they had to figure out each other's feelings on their own, on their own times.

For now, they just had to try to deal with it as much as they could. Even if it wasn't always easy.

And it wasn't going to stop them from enjoying their evening.

"So babe...you uh...you look real nice tonight." Gerald managed, blushing a bit as he tugged on the collar of his red sweater.

Phoebe merely giggled in response, standing up a bit straighter unconsciously. "Konichiwa, Gerald. You look very handsome tonight yourself." She smiled sweetly, meaning it very much... the darkness of his suit really set off his hair, and the dark red of his turtle-neck sweater really brought out his eyes and set off his skin. Phoebe couldn't help but admire him a little inconspicuously with her eyes, her hands clasped in front of her, holding her purse.

"Well thank you, madame." Gerald took Phoebe's hand and kissed it, winking at her.

Arnold watched in amazement at how bold Gerald was, despite that he and Phoebe continuously denied that their dates were anything but. Still, it was helping a bit give him a boost! He looked toward Helga, and managed to try to put on his smoothest face, and speak suavely with as much confidence as he could muster.

"Well, you look...dashing tonight, my fair Senorita. Hrrrrrr." He threw in the purr for good measure, hoping against all hope she wouldn't laugh.

Helga in response to this just blinked... She honestly had no idea what the heck he'd just done. Although, despite her confusion, she had to admit... she was digging that purr. "Dashing? Arnold, did you just call me dashing?" She laughed her loddy da laugh she'd been practicing, before looking back down at him, her smirk unavoidable. "Arnold, dashing means handsome." Her giggle was inevitable at his cute little mix up of words. "But it's okay, if it's opposite day or something, Arnold, you look simply bewitching this evening."

Arnold's face fell, and Gerald palmed his own, shaking his head. All of his confidence just dropped like a hundred-pound anvil. "Um...well...er...I meant...uh..."

Helga, still too lost in her amusement at his cuteness, just giggled again at his stuttering and smiled. "But in all seriousness, you look really good tonight, Arnold." She reached over a bit absent-mindedly to straighten his bow-tie a little as she spoke, "Of all the people for Gerald to invite, I'm glad it was you. I would've invited you myself, but I really wasn't sure if French food was your thing." That, of course, was a big fat lie. But it was the excuse she'd come up with in case he asked, and what better time to use it than now? That whole being happy he'd been invited thing had just slipped out, so an excuse had definitely been needed. Done messing with his bow now she brought her hand away and smiled, leaning just a bit close to him... close enough to entice, but not too close as to make him think she LIKED being near him or anything... even if it was true. _'Pfft, this whole hard to get stuff is easy. I should write a book...'_

"Well, 'course I had to invite my man Arnold." Gerald put in. "After all, what other friend woulda put up with ya?"

"Gerald!" Arnold hissed. He turned to Helga. "Well, it's okay, Helga. I'm glad we all did end up coming here together. It's...going to be a lot of fun." He would've brought up that they'd come here before on their first date, but decided not to for now.

Helga shot a short glare at Gerald before smiling back at Arnold again. "Yeah, I'm sure it will. Who doesn't love food, right?" She winked.

"Y-Yeah..." Arnold felt himself blush and he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"So, shall we go inside, ladies?"

"Allow me." Gerald promptly held the door open for them.

Helga just shrugged and walked in, not really caring.

Phoebe, though, giggled quite a bit and walked in, muttering her thanks to him in Japanese as she passed with a blush.

Gerald then nudged his best friend, whispering under his breath. "Nice goin', man! Way to be smooth and sophisticated!"

Arnold groaned at his sarcasm, a hand over one of his eyes and running down his face. "Ugh, I know, I know, Gerald. I don't know what happened. I just said the first thing that popped into my head."

"Smooth, man." Gerald muttered, shaking his head. "Just be confident and cool! You can do it!"

They rejoined the girls at the podium, while a bus boy was leading them to their table. Which was, ironically, the SAME table from before. From when Arnold unknowingly dined with Helga, and their first date. Now it was back again.

_Major deja-vu_. Arnold thought to himself.

The bus boy led them to their table and put a few napkins of cutlery and walked away, leaving them to take their seats.

Phoebe was about to take her seat when Gerald suddenly slid his way over to her and pulled it out FOR her, nice and smooth. It made Phoebe make a small noise in pleasant surprise before she sat down. "Thank you, Gerald. That was very gentlemanly of you."

"You're welcome, babe!" Gerald grinned, pushing her chair in closer to the table for her.

Meanwhile, Helga was just reaching her own chair...

Arnold immediately followed Gerald's example, though he would have done so regardless, and pulled out Helga's chair for her. "H-Here you go, Helga. Have a seat, my fair senorita."

Helga blinked, not quite sure what that whole Spanish thing was about (She didn't speak Spanish AT ALL and had basically no idea what he was saying, but she assumed it meant friend or something like that), before smiling and sitting down demurely, just trying to seem feminine and flow-like in her movements. "Thank you ever so much, Arnold." She fluttered her eyelashes a little, trying to flirt (even though she really wasn't too clear on what that word meant exactly... she'd never exactly flirted with anyone before, so she just hoped she was doing this right).

Arnold blushed considerably before he sat down in his seat across from her. "Y-You're very welcome, Helga." He managed a shaky, but sweet smile in her direction as he once more took in her beauty. It was so hard to keep his eyes off her... She looked so beautiful and sophisticated, like she belonged in this kind of environment. The way her golden locks seemed to glow like the sun in the soft dimness of the candlelight, and make her azure eyes pop more was so enchanting... "Helga, I...what I meant to say before...you look...well, you look really beautiful." He then inwardly smacked himself. He could've settled at her being just very pretty! But no, he went the higher road. What now!

Gerald just stared wide-eyed, unable to believe he'd done that.

Helga... Helga just... Oh, he'd just... and he was looking at her like... and he'd actually said... '_Oh, pinch me now, I'm dreaming_...' she swooned mentally. Outwardly, though, her face simply heated up nice and pink and her large azure eyes grew even wider than before. "I..." Oh, she just... she couldn't even speak! She just wanted to grab him by his cute little bow tie and kiss him like no tomorrow! Her face was threatening to become very goofy, very quick, and as she desperately struggled against just grabbing him, she prayed that someone would help her get out of this before her heart just plain exploded. He'd never... never called her that before...

Arnold blinked, and immediately his face fell. "I-I'm sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable! I just wanted to tell you the truth, I..."

Phoebe, seeing that her friend was sinking and sinking fast, quickly took action. She inconspicuously as possible dropped her fork down onto the floor. "Oh." She made a small surprised noise, bending down to pick up her fork. But when she did, instead of leaning back up immediately, she jabbed it into her friend's foot hard enough to wake her up.

"Yowch!" Helga suddenly woke up from her heart-pounding stupor and blinked, seeing Arnold sitting before her and looking very dejected. "O-Oh, no, no, Arnold, it's fine... I was just... surprised. No ones ever called me... b-beautiful before..." Her entire face flushed, and she looked down shyly.

"Oh...well..." Arnold blushed, and cleared his throat. "I guess it's about time someone did. You look so...so...well...different, and so..."

Gerald's jaw dropped, eyes wide._ Wow, he's really startin' to fall into 'lovesick' mode_... He kicked his best friend's leg a bit.

"Ow!" He uttered, pulling his leg away. "I mean...um..."

Helga, having been hanging off his every word and leaning quite close to him now with rapt attention and an unwavering gaze of blue, just asked, seeming very interested and even a bit captivated by what he was saying, "Yes, Arnold?" She asked softly.

"...Sophisticated. And well, to be honest, I'm impressed." He managed, blushing all the more. He had to impress a young girl who was so sophisticated in her own right, and pulled off "Fancy French" sophisticated so...well.

Helga seemed to deflate a bit at his answer, but looked overall pleased. '_Sophisticated...' _Wasn't that her goal now or something? To come off as sophisticated to him? Well... _'It's still early in the evening, and we haven't even gotten our food yet, so this is a VERY good sign_...' Deciding she was content with his answer (even if it wasn't quite what she'd expected), Helga smiled and leaned a bit closer to him. "Oh, well, thanks, Arnold. You look pretty smart yourself in that suit." She nudged him, giggling. "And I'm not really sure what that purring thing was about earlier, but that was pretty cute." She purred at HIM this time, giggling to herself.

Arnold's eyes widened and he blushed more, but managed to smile coyly in her direction. "Well Helga, thanks. I guess I wanted to turn things up a bit." He purred at her in response and chuckled.

Gerald resisted the urge to facepalm, as he now realized his and Phoebe's best friends were now slowly ascending into flirting mode. _Oh boy, where's a barf bag when I need one..._

Phoebe was grinning, though, being a girl and knowing how long Helga had wanted Arnold. She couldn't help feeling pretty giddy for her best friend and what was taking place. Seeing Gerald's expression, though, she had to hide a giggle behind her hand.

Helga giggled, feeling her heart skip a beat at his purring... She wasn't sure what it was, but there was just something about it that made her feel all giddy inside. It wasn't even just cute, like she'd said, it was... attractive just in general, really. With her giggles ceased after a moment, and her eyes half-lidded, Helga responded sweetly, "Arnold, please don't get me wrong, I love the purring, but I have to ask... Why would you purr? It just seems so..." Her eyes drifted off, unwilling to finish her sentence. _'...flirty_.' Her face heated up at the idea.

"...Well, just trying to make it more fun, I guess." Arnold admitted, blushing a bit more at the total lie. He wondered if she realized that he was flirting with her using that. "What can I say, sometimes I can't help but try to make you laugh."

The happiness in Helga's smile faded, leaving a flat look on her face for a few seconds... '_So he wasn't flirting_...' She didn't know WHY she was surprised. They were still JUST FRIENDS. And just because they were in a date-like setting and in date-like clothes, did NOT change that. Forcing herself to accept this fact, Helga managed to bring the smile back to her face and look Arnold in the eye again. "Well, it's definitely fun, Arnold. Who doesn't love acting like cats at the dinner table?" She purred at him again then, even going so far as dragging her hand down his arm, like a cat digging their nails into a cat-post, only much gentler, but still firm... though it was really just an excuse to touch him, and see if his suit was as expensive feeling as it looked.

Arnold laughed heartily, not quite realizing how his cover was taken literally. Even if that was the point in the first place. He suppressed a shiver when she touched him, pretending to be a cat. "That's true, Helga, who doesn't like to play cat and dog?" He made barking sounds toward her.

Helga just full blown laughed at that, punching him in the shoulder gently. "No one, Arnold. Everyone just LOVES playing cat and dog." She smirked. "Although I can't help but feel like you'd be the cat out of the two of us. You're always cleaing up yourself and everybody elses problems, and I'd be the dog because... Well, I'm simply more intimidating." She smirked.

Rubbing his shoulder, Arnold chuckled at her analogy. "But a dog is man's best friend. So you'd be a protector also, and not to mention very loyal."

Helga smiled. "Well, I AM a man's best friend in a way. I'm your friend. And I can promise that I'll never stop being your friend and I'll keep you from getting bullied ever. So that's something." She hadn't meant for it to sound so... sincere. But it did. She couldn't help but blush a little, but otherwise she stood her ground.

He smiled and blushed, feeling humbled and flattered. "Thanks, Helga. Since I'm a cat, I'll purr and let you know when I'm happy, and then curl up in a ball on your lap to take a nap. Otherwise, I'd let you have your space and then come right over to you when you want some company."

Helga chuckled and blushed, unable to stop the comment before it left her lips, "Well, you can curl up in my lap any time." She instantly slapped a hand over her mouth at having said such a thing, blushing like crazy.

Arnold's eyes widened, and so did Gerald's. He blushed considerably, rubbing the back of his neck. "Whatever you say, Helga..." A lovesick, goofy look came to his face as he glanced ever so slightly in her direction.

Helga, seeing that he didn't seem too suspicious or weirded out, just thankfully lowered the hand from her face and let out a small breath of relief to herself before responding with a bit of an awkward smile, her blood still betrayingly lingering in her cheeks, "Y-Yeah..." Gaining a bit of her confidence back, her voice got a bit of it's strength back, "Yeah, exactly. Whatever I say. I am the dog in this relationship after all." She flipped some of her hair back.

"Wait...isn't the dog supposed to be the one trained to obey commands?" Arnold raised an eyebrow, smirking at her playfully.

Helga's eyes widened at that one, and her eyes shifted around a bit, not quite sure what to say.

Phoebe, sitting next to Helga, couldn't help her mouth forming a small 'o' in surprise, too.

"Hot dang, man..." Gerald murmured, eyes wide.

Hearing this comment from Gerald and noticing Phoebe's expression, Helga's face settled into a scowl. "Helga G. Pataki takes orders from NO man." She stated firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No?" Arnold challenged, grinning. "Well Helga, maybe you can be a cat. Cats don't take orders. ...And well, I'm technically someone who's at everyone's beck and call, that's kind of like obeying commands."

"Awwww, but I like it when you purr," she giggled out.

"Meow." He said, chuckling and then purring toward her flirtatiously.

Helga's face heated up and her breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding furiously. Yeah... she definitely liked the purr. The only thing she could manage out was a weak, "Woof."

"Meow." Arnold chuckled, and purred again. This time he touched her hand, leaning a little toward her over the table. "And you're cute the way you sound like a dog, Helga."

"Oh man..." Gerald mumbled under his breath, unsure of what to make of their flirty exchange.

Phoebe just giggled behind her hand.

Helga's face just got even pinker from not only his purr, and his compliment, but at his _touch_... it was searing through her hand and warming up her entire body in waves. And though she knew she was supposed to say something back, and something NOT completely gone and lovesick, she couldn't stop herself from just gazing into his face and smiling a tiny bit dreamily (thankfully not too obviously). And after a few seconds, she even managed to respond, albeit quietly, "Woof, woof." She giggled, and suddenly feeling a burst of courage she took his hand in hers entirely and leaned in closer to his face, practically nose to nose as she growled flirtatiously, like a dog that was being refused their favorite treat.

"Well..._meow_, Helga..." Arnold's eyelids lowered partway as he smiled in a lovesick manner at their closeness. He purred then, stroking her hand.

Helga hummed a bit, savoring the feel of him stroking her hand through the thin material of her glove... but no matter how thin, she couldn't help but curse herself for having them on now, wishing so much for their skin to be touching... ANYWHERE. She growled lowly, though playfully and even a bit sweetly, leaning her face in close enough to where their noses were touching... TOUCHING. She mentally swooned, feeling so lost in him at that moment.

Phoebe covered Gerald's eyes.

Their closeness made Arnold both want to spring out of there, but he was growing to be so lost in her, lost in the girl he adored so much...especially now that he could smell her intoxicating perfume. She really outdid herself tonight... He purred lowly, gently squeezing her gloved hand.

Helga's once powerful growls were now reduced to nothing more than small gruff hums, feeling so weak from being so close to him... though despite the hot, melting feeling currently consuming her entire being, she did manage to squeeze his hand a bit back, even managing to stroke it a bit affectionately with her thumb...

Arnold now, his purrs were reduced to cute little mewling noises and the simple "Meow", and could feel his hand tingle under the affectionate touch of her own gloved hand, her thumb rubbing over his skin... His eyelids lowered further, as he gazed at her with such adoration. By this point, the rest of the world was ceasing to exist.

His cute little mewls and meows were seriously starting to get to her, and she could barely contain herself. She couldn't help but just reach forward with her free hand to put on his shoulder, pulling him closer ever so slightly. She just had to touch him more. The desire was overpowering her. She smiled dreamily, staring at him so very lovingly. She hummed in the back of her throat in response to his cute little cat noises, and suppressed a shudder at how he was looking at her... she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was just something in his gaze that was driving her insane...

The gaze on her lovely face was overpowering, as were her dazzling azure eyes, which never left his own. Arnold found himself surpressing a shudder at her adorable hums that had come from what was once playful growling. He uttered one last "meow" before the tension was killing him.

Very softly, he spoke her name, placing his free hand along her neck, fingering her soft hair. Leaning closer to her, this was when he couldn't take it any longer (and unknown to him, neither could she), when they leaned in and their lips brushed together.

Helga moaned ever so softly at their lips brushing, and spoke between their lips in the sweetest and lightest of voices, "Arnold...?" Her eyes were nearly all the way closed, but she just had to ask.

"Yes, Helga...?" Arnold murmured between their lips, losing himself all the more, but was able to muster enough sense to answer her.

Gerald's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. They were kissing right in front of them! He had seen it coming, given that they were making googly eyes at each other and leaning closer, but wow. He wasn't sure WHAT to think!

Phoebe just shook her head at him, putting a finger over her lips to keep quiet. She was looking out for her best friend as well as for Gerald. She knew if Gerald ruined this moment for her, Helga would kill him...

Nodding, Gerald just glanced toward them a moment, mouthing "Dang..." before turning his attention to Phoebe, managing to smile.

Helga, on the verge of dying and very nearly just blowing asking him so she could kiss him properly, but she just... had to ask before they got too serious with this... "What..." She breathed, not breaking contact with his lips for anything, "What are we doing?" She shifted her eyes up off his lips to his eyes, breathing onto his lips hotly and feeling his own breath mingling with her own. It was almost enough to just make her pass out.

Arnold shuddered a bit, also feeling on the verge of Rigor Mortis with the feel of her breath mingling with his own. His hand on her neck gently held her there, fingering her hair still. "Whatever we want it to be, Helga..." He was too far gone to clearly think of a better answer.

Helga's already half-closed eyes fell even more closed at his answer, and she melted closer to him at feeling his hand fingering her hair like that... every spot his fingers touched tingled and stung... but in a good way... a wonderful way, actually. She couldn't help swooning ever so lightly at his answer and pecking him on the lips a few times before pulling back again (but not breaking contact with his yummy little lips, of course), and responding sweetly, "A-And... what do we... want it to be, do you think... my handsome Senior...?" She just couldn't resist.

Arnold shivered in pleasure, and moved his hand to the back of her head, gently cradling her, all the while stroking her hair a little. "A kiss, I think...?"

Helga, basically his at this point, just managed to answer in a light, breathy voice, "Okay..." She was so gone.

"_Helga_..." He murmured lovingly, unable to help himself and he kissed her fully, but gently and tenderly, craddling the back of her head and still stroking her soft, golden locks.

Helga made a small, feminine sound of satisfaction and love and kissed back, squeezing his hand she was still holding and pulling him in closer by the hand on his shoulder. She just... had to get as close to him as possible...

Phoebe covered Gerald's eyes again.

Breathing rapidly and happily through his nose, Arnold felt himself melting at their intimate and sweet contact, not to mention glad to be able to kiss her like this practically scot-free! He leaned in closer to her, all the while gently angling her head to come closer, as he kissed her tenderly.

Helga, swooning like crazy inside, finally just couldn't take it anymore and she scooted her chair all the way over to his, their thighs nearly touching, and she just brought the hand on his shoulder fully around his neck, kissing him sweetly and lovingly and even leaning him back a bit. She was losing herself to him more and more, and was on the verge of just all out diving on top of him, but managed to hold herself back... kissing all sweet and affectionately was one thing, but just all out going crazy and making out was an entirely different thing... and she wasn't going there... not just yet...

Arnold felt to be in pure bliss, sharing this intimate affection with the girl he loved, and felt himself kissing her a little more...

"Hey!" Came a cheery voice. "I'm Jack, are you ready to or...der?" The young waiter stood by their table in shock, staring at the kissing kids, as if they were a couple in love.

At hearing someone's voice suddenly booming in so suddenly like that, Helga's eyes instantly popped open and she broke the kiss to look up at this 'Jack' character with wide eyes... though her arm was still around Arnold and his hand was still on the back of her neck, and he still seemed a bit dazed, and so was Helga... She really didn't know WHAT was going on... at all. Which was exactly why she was staring up at the young man with wide, confused eyes. _'Huh...?'_

Blinking, Arnold, though still dazed, came to remember just what was going on and where they were, even if he too hadn't let go of Helga yet. "Um...?"

Gerald rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Scuse me Jack, but we ain't good at readin' French. You mind giving us some English menus?"

Helga blinked, finally starting to come out of her daze a little. She shook her head, glancing down at the open menu on the table. "O-Oh... uh..." She broke away from Arnold a little, her arm still around him but managing to let go of his hand so she could look over at Gerald with a blink. "You can't read the menu, Gerald?" She did her loddy da laugh, albeit a bit weakly all things considered, and said, "Oh, you're so droll. I see you're not USED to sophisticated dining like I am... and Arnold here." She tightened her hold on him without thinking. "Why don't we order for you?"

"Well great! What'll you kids have?" Jack grinned as he whipped out his waiter pad.

"Oh, um...yeah, we can order for you guys...we-we've been here before...we know what's on the menu." Arnold blushed at her compliment and at how she was tightening her hold on him. He lowered his hand on her neck to lower around her waist.

Helga nodded at Arnold, luckily managing to keep herself from outright shuddering at his hand on her waist, and lifted up the menu to read off, "Okay, how about we start with the escargot, and pattie de foie gras, vichyssoise, _of course_... right, Arnold?" She glanced at him.

Arnold blinked, but realized he had to be all sophisticated and fancy, so he nodded. "Of course, Helga. Wouldn't have it any other way at all."

Helga grinned, looking back down at the menu as she read off, "Two orders of coq au vin, bouef bourgignon, duck a l'orange..."

Gerald blinked, looking from Helga to his best friend, then to Phoebe. "Wow...do you even know what all that stuff is?"

"Of course she does, Gerald." Arnold quickly nodded. "It's easy as pie."

"...Whatever you say, Arnold. Oh! And definitely order some of that smelly, runny cheese you French people like so much!" Gerald added.

Helga couldn't help but cringe at that one. "Why would you want any of that?"

"What? I just wanna look at it." Gerald grinned.

Arnold grimaced also, but tried to keep his composure, and unwittingly tightened his hold around Helga's waist. "Well...I guess if Helga wants to order you a piece..."

Helga shivered ever so slightly at him tightening his hold, but took a breath and managed to respond, "Okay, whatever. We'll have a few slices of cheese for _Gerald_, and then of course, pyrenees spring water for the table."

"Awesome! I mean, well, excelent, madame." Said Jack, taking their menus from them.

"I'll be right back with your orders." He jotted this down and walked off to the kitchen.

"Wow Helga, that was...well, very impressive the way you handled it all." Arnold admitted. "Very sophisticated." _Darn, I wish I could've been that cool._

Helga just waved him off, smirking to herself. "Oh, it was nothing. I do stuff like that all the time." _'All the time, first time - What's the difference?'_

"Oh, wow...what a coincidence, me too." Arnold blushed a bit.

Gerald snickered behind his hand, with Phoebe lightly tapping his leg with her foot, making him stop.

Helga did her loddy da laugh... although it came out as more of a giggle. She settled the arm around his neck to just around his shoulders, and leaned a bit towards him with a smirk as she asked, "Oh? Is that so?" The idea of Arnold reading or speaking French was unavoidably intriguing to her.

"Well, sure, _ma belle_. Hrrrrrrr." Arnold winked and purred, stroking her side a little before just simply resting his hand on her waist.

Helga giggled, somehow managing to suppress like the biggest shudder ever (though she was shaking ever so slightly), and leaned a bit closer to him with a grin, the spot his hand touched tingling incessantly. "Oui oui, Mon Cher." She had no idea what she'd just said, but knew it was a term of endearment, something like 'my dear' or something, and she really just wanted to see his reaction.

Shoot! What did that one mean again? He didn't know. Whatever it was, it sounded sweet. Arnold blushed and averted his gaze a bit, before glancing back at her. To be bold, he took her gloved hand with his free hand and kissed it, despite the material of her glove.

Helga couldn't help the small pleasant "Oh" that escaped her lips at his kiss, and she giggled. "Oh, Arnold..." She purred this time, grinning flirtatiously. "You're so charming tonight. I like it." Her eyes fell half-lidded.

"Well...why wouldn't I be? It's the right thing to do, to be charming for a lovely young lady like you, Helga." Arnold blushed a bit and shuddered at her own little purr. "No reason I can't charm you, ma belle."

"Ah jeez..." Gerald groaned under his breath.

Helga giggled uncontrollably in response, having to try and conceal them behind her hand.

Phoebe couldn't help but giggle also, only at what Gerald said instead.

"Here ya go, kids." Jack came back some moments later, placing the first course of food on the table before them. "Some escargots for you fine ladies and gentlemen."

"Oh, um, thank you, Jack."

"Merci, Jack." Helga said demurely.

"Yes, thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, I'll be back with the rest." Jack winked at them before walking off to another table.

"Man, these look awesome!" Gerald exclaimed, taking his fork and poking at the escargots. "Hey, these look like snail shells! Haha! That's pretty wicked, huh Arnold?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh, yeah, exquisite, isn't it?" Arnold gave a wide grin. Gerald kicked his leg and he immediately dropped it.

Helga, her arm withdrawn from Arnold's neck now, but his arm still around her (she didn't dare question it in fear that it would end), and was eating her own food warily, though she tried not to show it as she said, "Yes, Geraldo, that's what escargot IS. Snails. Doi." She smirked, taking a generous bite of her own... and seriously trying not to upchuck it right then. She somehow managed to hold it down, with a great deal of effort.

"Say WHAT?" Gerald's eyes widened and he dropped his fork in mid-bite, clattering on the plate. "EW! I play with these things at the park! I ain't eating them!"

Helga rolled her eyes. "Why not? There's nothing wrong with it." _'Just stay cool, Helga... You can do this... It's just snails...'_

"Yes there is! EW!" Gerald pushed his plate away. "That's just gross!"

Arnold meanwhile tried a bite, and made a grimace, but kept it down. "Mmm...delicious...just as always."

Gerald gave him a dry stare.

Helga smiled at Arnold before looking back over at Gerald with a small eyeroll. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. You eat burgers and fries and milkshakes. Burgers are made out of big smelly cows, fries are made of potatoes that come out of the DIRT, and milkshakes are made of milk, doi, so they come out of a cow's BOOBS. And yet you're perfectly fine eating THEM, and yet eating a couple little snails is just SO gross?" She snorted. "Drama queen."

Gerald made a face and held his stomach, turning to his best friend. "And you call THAT sophisticated?"

"Come on Gerald, she's just having fun." Arnold whispered back. "You don't have to eat them if you don't want to."

Helga chuckled. "Yeah, Gerald, I'm just having fun." She fluttered her eyelashes and then laughed.

Phoebe giggled.

"I'm just glad she didn't order spaghetti." Gerald muttered dryly.

Arnold's eyes widened and he blushed at the idea, averting his gaze to look as if he were very interested in his plate.

Helga, having heard what he said, looked over at him blankly. "Why?"

"Um...n-no reason! 'Cause it's all messy and could get on our nice clothes and stuff!" Gerald tugged his collar, glancing toward Phoebe for help.

Phoebe smiled at him, taking over as she looked at Helga, "He's just afraid you'll make some grotesque Earth worm joke or something, Helga, all things considered."

Helga blinked, before all out laughing. "Oh. Pfft, whatever." She reached forward to grab some bread. "I'm not going to talk about worms at the table. I just said all that stuff before to make a point."

Gerald wiped his brow in relief. "Okay then! Thanks, babe. Said exactly what was needed to be said."

Phoebe just giggled, nodding her head. "No problem, Gerald. I'm glad to have found the words that you couldn't seem to quite find. It was no trouble."

Arnold chuckled a bit at the exchange, shaking his head.

Helga just broke off a piece of her bread and turned towards Arnold with a devious glint in her eye. "Hey, Arnold? Do you like bread?"

"Huh? Oh, yes! I do like bread, Helga." Arnold turned to her and smiled a bit. "French bread is delicious."

Helga grinned then, leaning closer to him. "Okay, you want some then?" She held up a small piece to his lips, smirking.

"Oh...um, of course, Helga." He blushed a bit, and took the piece she offered into his mouth. "Mmm...thanks, Helga." Following her example, he broke off a piece of bread also, and held it to her. "Would you like some too?"

"Oh brother." Gerald grumbled to himself, palming his face.

Helga, in response (and SO ignoring Gerald), just immediately wrapped her lips around the small piece of bread, even tasting some of his fingers before pulling her mouth off and savoring the bread in her mouth with her eyes closed. "Mmmm..." She swallowed, and slowly opened her eyes. "Delightful..."

_You're delightful._ Arnold thought, gazing at her adoringly for a few more moments.

Phoebe just sighed at their best friends once again descent into Flirt Land and whispered to Gerald, "Perhaps we shouldn't have come..."

"Here you go! Duck a l'orange for the happy couples!" Jack announced as he placed some more plates before the kids.

"More like happy couple and buddies." Gerald mumbled, but grinned at the sight of the food. "Now THAT is more like it!"

Helga just ignored the 'happy couples' remark and smiled at the waiter. "Good, good. Thank you, Jack." She grinned down at her big plate of food, feeling extremely excited to eat FINALLY something that wasn't ridiculously disgusting.

"Man, this looks awesome!" Gerald grinned, sniffing the meat. "Mm-mm! Smells fantastic!"

Much to his dismay, Arnold had to remove his arm from around his beloved's slim waist, but noted himself to replace it later on. Still, the sight and smell of the Duck a l'orange on his plate looked awesome. "Wow, this looks really..." He tried to think of a big word to impress Helga with. "Scrumptious."

Helga giggled at hearing such a big word coming out of Arnold's mouth, finding it cute how he'd suddenly gone from such an easygoing, carefree guy to someone who said words like 'scrumptious' and 'dashing' every five seconds. It was highly amusing... and extremely cute. She nodded in response, doing her best to ignore the pangs of sadness at not having his arm around her anymore, and said, "Yes, it looks positively succulent. Excellently cooked, and it smells delectable." She broke out her fork and knife and already started cutting into her food, her mouth watering just at the idea of having it in her mouth.

"Heck yeah! All that and whatever those words you just said!" Gerald eagerly did the same, cutting into his meat, and taking a bite of a piece. He grinned and patted his tummy. "Mmm-mmm! Now that is good meat!"

Arnold followed their examples, and tried a piece of meat. "Wow! It's delicious!"

"And here's your cheese, exactly as you asked for!" Jack came back, placing a plate of cheese on the table for them.

"All right!" Gerald took the plate and immediately beelined his nose to the smelly, runny, moldy cheese.

Phoebe, having just swallowed her first bite of duck and starting to cut into her next one, couldn't help but lean forward a bit and sniff at the smell. "Ooooh..." She cringed ever so slightly, leaning back. "That smells very... interesting."

"And by interesting, she means disgusting!" Helga exclaimed, holding her nose and fanning the area around her. "I can smell that stuff just from over here!"

"Aw, come on! It's cool! Here Arnold, smell it!" Gerald held the plate toward Arnold.

"I'm not going to smell it!" Arnold recoiled from it.

"Come on man, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Hiding until it's needed. Now take that away."

Helga grimaced, recoiling away herself. "Seriously, Geraldo, put that stuff away. And you said the SNAILS were disgusting. Ick." She cringed heavily.

"Oh fine." Gerald pouted, putting it aside. "May as well dig more into the awesome meat!"

Helga shuddered. "I think I may have lost my appetite after that episode."

Phoebe couldn't help but agree. "I have to agree with Helga." She stated, pushing her plate aside a bit.

"Oh well, more for me!" Gerald declared.

"Me too." Arnold pushed his plate away. "I'll have to ask Jack to take that away."

Helga shuddered. "Agreed. Well, this is great. We're in a fancy French restaurant with no appetite. Now what?"

"That's too bad." Arnold said sadly. He glanced at Helga for a moment. "Oh! Helga, you have a little something on the corner of your mouth. I'll get it for you." He took his napkin and leaned over to wipe her mouth with it. "There you go."

Helga's eyes widened at what he'd just done, and she blushed, looking away. "O-Oh, thanks, Arnold..."

"You're welcome, Helga." Arnold shyly sat back in his seat, blushing a bit. "J-Just wanted to help."

Gerald looked wide-eyed, turning to Phoebe. "Hey, you wanna slip out to a movie or somethin'? They won't notice!"

Phoebe couldn't help having to giggle quite a bit at that one, and she shook her head at him with a smile. "Gerald... We couldn't..."

Sighing, Gerald nodded. "Guess you're right, babe. May as well tough it out. She DID invite us, after all."

Phoebe nodded, smiling. "Indeed, Gerald. They're not going at it too bad, anyway. I'm sure things will be fine in just a minute." She glanced over back towards their smitten friends.

Helga blushingly glanced at Arnold, smiling ever so slightly. "Just like always, h-huh...?" She giggled a little.

"Yeah..." Arnold glanced toward her too. "E-Especially you."

Helga's blush grew even more and she had to just turn to him fully now and look at him shyly, clearly flattered, "R-Really...?"

"Well yeah. you're my best girl friend, so...of course I want to help you too. You-you deserve it, too." Arnold looked at her shyly, twiddling his hands on his lap.

"Let's hope." Gerald muttered dryly to Phoebe.

Helga bit her lip, looking down... before she scooted a bit closer to him and glanced at him, still feeling a bit shy but also a bit more confident, given what he'd said. "Arnold...?"

"Yes, Helga?" Arnold looked away a bit before looking back at her fully.

Helga giggled, looking at him full on now, feeling much less shy now that she could see how shy HE was. "I think I got my appetite back now..." '_My appetite for YOU is growing more and more with each second...' _She inwardly smirked.

"Really, Helga?" Arnold looked at her also, blinking. "Th-That's good, I'm glad to hear that...I-I think I am, too."

"And I'm losing MINE..." Gerald muttered.

Helga's eyes glinted with mischief. "Oh? Hungry again, huh? Well then..." Helga picked up her fork and got a small bit of her duck on it, and then placed it in between her teeth and pulled it off the fork, leaving it there. She spoke through her teeth, "Come and get it."

Arnold blinked and stared in surprise. Was she actually...? Blushing more, he nodded a bit. "O-Okay, Helga." Trying to be bold, he leaned in, bringing one hand to her shoulder for leverage, and touched his lips to hers. He pried the piece of meat from her mouth and kissed her tenderly all the while. Pulling away, he chewed and swallowed the meat and smiled a bit through his immense blush.

Helga, eyes now heavily half-lidded with pleasure, just grinned through her blush and giggled. "I can't believe you actually did that..." she confessed. _'But I'm so glad you did_...'

"Well...it's nothing new to us anymore..." Arnold blushed more.

"Ah jeez..." Gerald covered his own eyes, shaking his head.

"I guess that is true, huh?" She giggled, leaning in closer to him flirtingly. "I nearly forgot. We haven't really done anything for a little while, but you're absolutely right. We ARE a couple of weirdo kissing buddies, aren't we?" She leaned in right at that moment and showered his lips with kisses for quite a few seconds while he just sat there, paralyzed in love, before she pulled back, struggling with not going completely bonkers herself. "S-See? Nothing..." _'Other than sparks and electicity searing through my entire body and heating up through my core, letting every last molecule in my body know that I am completely and utterly yours, my love...' _How she was managing to stay sane, she'd never know.

Arnold's entire face turned bright pink, bordering red, as he sighed a little bit and managed to sit up straight. "Y-Yeah...I guess we're really that different...but it's okay...right? As long as we're...you know, consenting." He took a piece of his meat, placed it between his teeth, and then boldly leaned over to kiss her once more, transferring the piece into her mouth.

"Mmmm!" She blinked in surprise, her heart skipping several beats at his bold move before she managed to muster up enough sense to kiss him back, impatiently bringing both of her arms around him and holding him there, pressing herself into him. She was so tired of all the cat and mouse. She wanted him NOW. He tasted like duck and Arnold and Heaven and perfection and GOSH DANG IT, SHE WAS JUST TIRED OF ALL THESE SMALL PECKS AND TEASING AND FLIRTING! IT WAS EVEN WORSE TORTURE THAN NOT HAVING TALKED TO HIM HARDLY FOR SIX YEARS!

Arnold squeaked a bit in surprise, freezing in place at her sudden bold and more intense reaction. But boy was he not letting it slip! She wanted a real kiss, she could have one. His hands rested on her waist as he kissed her back, now completely devoid of the rest of the world.

Gerald's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, his fork falling onto the table and missing his plate. He tried to say something, but Phoebe clapped her hand over his mouth again.

Helga, feeling just completely FED UP, pressed him hard against the back of his chair and kissed him intensely, doing her best to implant it into his head that only friends or not, he belonged to _HER_! '_MINE_!' She moaned then, her heart completely aflame from his hands on her back, and her soul practically trying to just completely leave her and melt into him. _'Arnold, Arnold, Arnold_...' It just felt SO good to finally have him like this, even if he was only kissing her back to humor her, or play with her, or flirt with her outright, she just didn't CARE! As long as he was in her arms and she was in his for just a minute or two, she'd be content for the rest of the evening and would keep her hands to herself. Just ONCE!

A deep sigh escaped his nose as their kiss grew more intense and passionate, he nearly fell limp! It was a wonder no one else in the restaurant seemed to notice, thankfully. He just happily kissed her back, holding her close. Whatever made her want to kiss like this, he didn't care nor did he think about it. If they wanted to really be "Weirdo Kissing Buddies", why not? He raised one hand up to gently play with her hair.

Helga's entire nervous system all but shut down at his hand being in her hair, and she honestly felt like she was losing her mind. She pulled away from his lips a moment, though of course still pressing into him and arching into his arms, and said breathily, "You're cute in your bow tie, and you're a really good friend, and you have really green eyes and you're so worldly and cultured and I... I..." Her head was spinning, she was so lost in his eyes and she was struggling with not kissing him immediately again, but she wanted to hear what he had to say back.

Arnold's heart pounded and he felt just so ELATED! How Helga had become so wonderful to him in a matter of a couple of months was beyond him, but he couldn't help himself. Ever since their date, nothing between them was the same. Most especially after their Cheese Festival outing. He smiled more, and brought his hand up to touch her cheek gently, pecking her lightly. "Thanks, Helga. You're...well, you're a great friend, and really lovely, and really sophisticated and cultured, too. I'm glad we're here like this...really."

She really was just babbling words from her tormented heart now, completely lost in him and everything he was and ever was before and ever would be. She just felt completely loopy in love at that moment, and leaned into his touch all the more, closer to his warmth, his care, his essence... "Oh, and I'm so glad we are too. I didn't know what I was missing out on before. I'm so glad we're friends and can be like this together. You're like my best friend and I... Oh, I just love you so much. No ones ever made me feel so happy and warm. You're the best friend any girl could ever have. And your lips taste like cotton candy!" She dove back in then, kissing him fervently, once again losing herself in him before she pulled back again, just to gasp for air and run her fingers through his hair. She was just SO glad that it was slow night for the restaurant tonight, because otherwise she just KNEW people would be making complaints.

Arnold shuddered in pleasure and managed to regain himself a little, calming his rapid breathing and pounding heart. Helga G. Pataki was just a wonder. A pure wonder. How could he have missed out on something so great? He regretted not having reached out to her further in the past. But at least now they were here, and didn't that count?

"Me too, Helga. You're my best girl friend, and well..." He managed to reach for his glass of water. "I'm glad we're finally friends."

Helga just continued to run her fingers through his hair, her eyes half-lidded in adoration and love. "Me too... friends forever... and ever..." '_And ever and ever and ever_...'

"Friends to the end." Arnold managed, giving her a hug and playing with her hair.

Helga, just continuing to stare at him dotingly, just continued running her hands through his hair, petting him affectionately. "Yes... 'til the very end..."

Gerald palmed his face, unable to fathom just how silly this was. Here they were, obviously a little more than infatuated with each other, and having just kissed like a couple of lovers, and were STILL fixated on being "just friends". He was at loss for words. He just wanted to scream "YOU TWO ARE IN LOVE! WILL YOU STOP WITH THE FRIENDS THING?", but he knew he couldn't. It would mess things up BIG TIME.

Phoebe couldn't help but exchange a knowing, frustrated look with Gerald.

"Escallopes for you all!" Jack announced as he came back to the table, placing a few plates of scallops topped with some sauce and vegetables.

Only this time, his presence didn't quite deter the two "friends", as they just continued embracing and staring at each other.

"Hey uh, thanks, man!" Gerald said, smiling nervously.

Helga hummed in response, not taking her eyes off of Arnold. "Oh, thanks, Max..."

"...Um, it's Jack." Jack blinked, looking from one pair to the other. "...Okay then." He walked off, confused.

Gerald whispered to Phoebe. "You were right, people DO think they're a couple..."

Phoebe nodded to him. "Indeed. They really haven't been giving them any reason to think otherwise."

"No kidding." Gerald whispered. "If I hear one more 'we're best friends' phrase, I swear I'm gonna pop 'em."

Phoebe just giggled, shaking her head. "Do try to resist, Gerald. They can't help that they're blind to each other's affections."

"Understatement of the year." Gerald mumbled. "But I know I gotta resist, or else Arnold's gonna hate me forever and Helga'll pound me to the ground."

Phoebe nodded, looking away shyly. "Indeed, Gerald, and that would be very sad... I'd miss you."

"Awww...thanks, Phoebe." Gerald blushed a bit, patting her hand. "I'd miss you, too."

Phoebe just blushed in response, smiling at him.

Gerald grinned. "So! You wanna make a real good outing and go see a movie with yours truly sometime?" He winked at her.

Phoebe giggled, leaning up to him just a bit flirtatiously. "That sounds delightful, Gerald... as long as we're not going to be using the 'just friends' excuse, either... After this whole experience, I must say that I've truly learned that..." She glanced at Arnold and Helga, still wrapped up in each other in their own little world. "I really don't want to end up like that..."

Blinking, Gerald realized what she meant and blushed heavily, but nodded in agreement. "S-Sounds good, babe! I agree with you! It's a date!"

Phoebe just blushed in response, and nodded shyly.

"All right then..." He turned to their best friends. "HEY! WAKE UP!"

This time, Arnold jumped a bit and stared around, wide-eyed. "O-Oh...um...sorry, guys..." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "What were we talking about?"

"Um...nothin', man. Anyway, we got scallops! And I just FINALLY regained my appetite, so you guys better eat it!"

Helga giggled, still feeling just a bit dazed. "Sounds good to me." She picked up one of the scallops and took a generous bite out of it, before stuffing the rest into Arnold's mouth and kissingly pushing it all the way into his mouth before she separated herself from him and started eating her food, still snuggling fit into his arms, just waiting for him to finish what was in his mouth before she could feed him again (Did she mention he belonged to HER?).

Gerald's face immediately went blank. "And I lost it again."

Phoebe giggled a bit. "You don't have to watch them, Gerald."

Arnold blushed a bit at her action, and finished his bite that she had generously fed him. "Mmm...wow, this is really good. And the sauce adds a perfect flavour to it."

Gerald just looked over at her, his face still blank. "Well, how can I not watch them when they're RIGHT THERE being shoved in our faces? It'd be like trying to ignore it raining hot acid. It's kinda hard." He shuddered.

Helga giggled, picking up a bit of the vegetables and leaning into his arms with the forkful. "Yeah, definitely. It's really delicious." She brought her hand holding the fork up to his mouth again, pressing it against his lips. "Now open up again, Mon Cher."

"I know, but you can look at something else." Phoebe blushed a bit shyly.

"Oh...thank you, Helga." Arnold accepted the bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Mmmm...wow, delicious."

Gerald had immediately opened his mouth at that one, like he was about to respond, but then he suddenly closed it and his eyes went blank again for a moment... before he grinned smoothly and sat his head in his hand. "Like you. Good idea, Pheebs."

Helga nodded, her eyes lively with love. "Yeah, very." She picked up a bit for herself and ate some herself, before swallowing and giggling a little as she looked over at him and said, "Oh, and the food is pretty good, too."

Phoebe blushed and giggled, looking at him with a shy, but sweet smile. "Yes...like me. And I will do the same to you as well."

Arnold blinked, and blushed even more. He took his fork and picked up a scallop piece with a couple of vegetables, making sure to dab it in the sauce, and held it to her lips. "Would you like some more, ma cheri?"

Gerald grinned. "Sounds good to me, babe."

Helga blushed shyly and nodded her head, wrapping her lips around the bit of scallop and veggies and pulling away with the food in her mouth. "Mmmm..." Her eyes were closed, and she just took a few moments to savor it's rich flavors.

"All right. ...Well, aside from everything, this is quite nice, isn't it?" Phoebe smiled a bit more, shyly eating some of her scallops.

"Oh, you have a little bit of sauce on the corner of your lip, Helga. I'll get it for you." Arnold leaned over to her and wiped it off with his mouth and tongue, then kissed her lightly as he did so, before pulling away.

Gerald, still just staring at her and deliberately ignoring a certain two, just took a few bites of his own scallops and shrugged. "I guess it could've been a lot worse. But you being here has really helped, Pheebs." He took her hand under the table and gave it a light squeeze.

Helga, now paralyzed in his arms, just struggled against falling against him and swooning. Luckily, she managed, but only after glancing over at him and noticing a few little crumbles of scallops on the side of his mouth. "Oh, you have a little something on the side of your mouth, too, Arnold." She knew it was small, but she needed some way of turning the tables around, or else she was just going to lose it. And so she leaned forward and did a long lick off the side of his own mouth, licking up all the crumbs, before going back and just pecking a few times around his mouth to make sure the entire area was swept (or rather kissed) clean. "There we are. Much better." She giggled.

"Thank you, Gerald..." Phoebe giggled and blushed a bit. "For the most part I am very glad I came. And you being here too has been worth it as well."

"Thank you, Helga. You're very sweet." Arnold blushed a bit more, and held her a little closer. His heart pounded, his insides were numb and heated, it was all a huge mess. But a wonderful mess.

Gerald grinned charmingly, although if one looked close enough, it was just a TINY BIT obvious that he was blushing. "Thanks, babe. Glad to hear it."

Helga, in response just giggled and wrapped an arm around him again, keeping him close. "Yep, that's me. Sweet ol' Helga G. Pataki." She giggled at the silly idea, but coming from Arnold, it was more than flattering.

"Me too." Phoebe ate the last of her scallops, smiling in delight, and then placed her now free hand over his that rested on her other one.

Gerald just smiled.

"Yep." Arnold winked at her, and then gave her another bite of scallops and veggies. "Here, Helga."

Helga giggled and instantly ate the bit of food off of the fork and swallowed, before leaning in closer to him affectionately and gazing at him a bit. "Thank you, Arnold..." She leaned into his chest a bit, enjoying his presence.

"You're welcome." Arnold marveled in how she snuggled into him and he felt like a million bucks. "Meow." He mewed, playing with her a bit.

Helga giggled, putting her hand over his heart and feeling it pound beneath it. It surprised her a bit, but she figured it was just because he was a little freaked by how close she was... but she didn't care. She just wanted to be close to him, and dang it, he was just going to have to get used to it. "Woof, woof..." She played right on back, stroking his chest with her hand.

Phoebe glanced at them at the corner of her eye and couldn't help but smile. It was so cute! If they weren't so blind to their love for each other, it would've been cuter.

"Meow." He said again, and held her closer, stroking her hair. "It's so nice being here with you like this, Helga. I'm...really glad you invited us."

Helga just giggled again and continued softly stroking his chest, leaning into his warmth and savoring his hands stroking her hair. "Well, technically, I just invited Phoebe. Gerald was the one that invited you... but I'm really glad he did. Tonight really wouldn't have been the same without you."

"Thanks, Helga... I'm glad we all came, it's been great." Arnold suppressed a shudder from her stroking his chest and hair, it made him smile goofily. "It was great coming back here again, especially all four of us here together."

"Yeah, but I'm especially glad we got to come here again _together_..." Helga couldn't help but mutter out quietly, sweetly, as she reached the hand that was in his hair down to stroke the light, cute hairs of his neck. They were just calling for her love and attention.

"And here's our special for tonight! Fettucine noodles with a French twist sauce!" Jack announced as he came back to the table, placing two large plates of fettucine with a red sauce on them sprinkled with grated cheese. "Enjoy, you lovebirds!" He winked as he refilled their water, and then left.

"Well hey! That looks good!" Gerald grinned. "...So wait, we gotta share?"

Helga giggled. "Well, it's one big plate and we still have our old plates. We COULD just get what we want off of the plate and onto our individual ones... but I don't think I'm going to." She fluttered her eyelashes at Arnold, not really thinking about it too much. She'd really just started running on pure instinct with him lately, and with how affectionate he was always acting, she figured it was a good thing.

"Me neither." Arnold murmured, staring at Helga adoringly. "I don't mind sharing with you, Helga."

"Oh brother." Gerald groaned, shaking his head. "Well you guys do what you wanna do. I'M going to eat it the right way. You with me on that, babe?"

Phoebe just nodded, smiling in a bit of amusement. "Yes, Gerald, that does seem more acceptible to me."

Helga just ignored the other two at the table, gazing at Arnold lovingly back, and still batting her eyelashes here and there. "Wonderful..."

"Sounds good to me, then!" Gerald turned his attention to Phoebe. "Allow me." He scooped some of the noodles onto her plate. "There you go, Pheebs."

"Yeah..." Arnold took his fork and proceeded to eat some of the noodles. "Mmmm...wow...this is really delicious!"

Phoebe smiled happily at Gerald. "Konichiwa, Gerald. That was very kind of you."

Helga took a generous forkful of the noodles too, popping it in her mouth. "Mmmm..."

Gerald, now with his plate full of noodles, too, didn't even notice that a few of the noodles were hanging off the original serving dish and just went away with putting in a big bite full of his own into his mouth. "Oh yeah..."

Both Helga and Gerald continued eating their noodles, but soon found that they were having to lean forward to in order to eat up more of the noodles, and before either of them knew it, they were nose to nose with each other. Both their eyes widened...

Arnold slurped some more noodles, and then the sight caught his eye. As did Phoebe's. The two of them stared at the awkward sight for a few moments, all of them unmoving.

A tinge of jealousy coursed through him and Arnold's eyes narrowed. How DARE this happen! _Helga's MINE! ...Okay, not mine, technically, but...! No! I won't let this happen!_

He immediately took his steak knife, and cut the strand in between them to break it.

Phoebe sighed in relief. "Thank you, Arnold."

Helga, the noodle now broken, just sat back in her seat now, her face twisted in some weird, utterly awkward and unknowing of what to say way, as well as Gerald's at the moment. And the only thought on either of their minds was, _'ceinfowhngiogiohwghrjf.'_

"Are you all right, Gerald?" Phoebe asked in concern. "I'm sorry that had to happen, it must have been uncomfortable for you."

"Helga?" Arnold reached over and gently held her face in his hands, concerned. "Helga, are you okay?"

Gerald just blinked a few times, his face still twisted oddly. Not quite repulsed as he was... just... ew. He blinked a few times, finally managing to come out of his state of... he wasn't even sure. Awkward. Just... awkward. He looked over at Phoebe, rubbing the side of his face. "Okay... that was even worse than that time at the Carmen play..." He cringed at the memory.

That one managed to break Helga out of her awkward stupor also, and she shook her head a little and blinked, and then instantly shot her head around and scowled at Gerald. "I thought we had a silent agreement to NEVER SPEAK OF THAT EVER AGAIN."

Gerald shrugged. "I guess I didn't get the memo. I can't read your MIND, Helga."

Helga just scowled.

"Um, Gerald? Can I talk to you for a second?" Arnold said seriously, clearing his throat.

Helga blinked at that one, looking over at him with a hint of sadness, though she tried to hide it. "You're leaving?"

Gerald just blinked. "Uh..."

"Huh?" Arnold looked back at her. "No! No, of course not, Helga. I wouldn't do that."

Helga pouted. "But you just said..."

"I just need to talk to Gerald for a second, we'll be back!" Arnold grabbed his best friend's arm and dragged him aside out of earshot of the table.

Helga blinked, looking over at Phoebe with a bit of her brow extended up. "What was all that about?"

"I haven't a clue, Helga." Phoebe murmured. "I'm sure they just need to sort something out."

Helga just shrugged. "Whatever. Boys are weird."

Meanwhile...

Gerald, stumbling along behind Arnold, tried with all his might to stop Arnold from dragging him along anymore, but he was determined... "Arnold, geez, where's the fire?"

"Gerald...what were you _doing_?"

Gerald was immediately taken aback at this randomly yelled question, and had to just blink a few times. "What are you talking about, Arnold? I-" He became fed up. "Will you please stop dragging me wherever?"

Arnold let go, and took a deep breath. "You know what I mean. You had the same noodle strand that Helga did!"

Gerald blinked, his face twisting awkwardly for a few seconds just at the memory before he blinked out of it and looked at Arnold with an incredulous look. "And what, Arnold? Did you think I did it on PURPOSE or something? I had no control over it! It just happened! It's not like it's the first time or anything!"

"How did you not notice it? And-...wait, what do you mean it's not the first time?" His eyes widened, unsure whether to be surprised or jealous.

Gerald rolled his eyes, regretting having ever mentioned that in the first place. "Whatever, man. I was just really absorbed in the flavors in my mouth and wasn't paying attention. Next thing I knew I was nose to nose with Helga. These things happen. And as for the other time, it was no big deal. Remember back when we were at that play Carmen?"

"...Yes, remember, but what does that have to do with anything?" Arnold now was confused.

Gerald sighed, his face twisting awkwardly just at the mere memory. "Well, I kinda dozed off a little listening to my music, Helga fell asleep, and when we both woke up at the end of the play, she was kind of laying against me." He cringed. "It was one of the most awkward moments of my life."

"...I didn't even notice." Arnold groaned, shaking his head. "...Okay, okay. I'm sorry Gerald, really. I guess I really can't help myself these days. I just get so jealous! I'm sorry. I really need to control myself a bit better."

Gerald couldn't help the eyeroll that took over him a moment. "Oh, come on, Arnold, if there's ANYONE you don't need to feel jealous of, it's ME. I'm your best friend, and I'm not attracted to Helga in the least. I just think the god of fate has a really sick sense of humor is all." He waved it off. "But I can understand you being all jealous. After that whole Arnie deal, and all the guys just in general that have shown an interest in Helga, I can see where you'd feel kinda paranoid."

"But I feel terrible, Gerald. It's like Helga's some kind of toy I don't want anyone else playing with. But she's not a toy! She's so much more than that!" Arnold held his head in his hands. "I've just gotten so paranoid, so possessive...that's not how love should be! I trust her, it's those other guys I don't trust!"

Gerald frowned. "So you don't trust your best friend?"

"No, no, I do. That was a stupid, paranoid, jealous moment for me."

Gerald shook his head at him. "Well, just for the record and so you know for sure, if anything weird like that ever happens again, it in NO way means that I suddenly want your girl." He shuddered a little. "Heck, I have a problem comprehending how YOU want her."

"I understand, Gerald. I'll remember that." Arnold looked down at the floor. "I know it's weird, considering everything, but it's how I feel. I...I love her, Gerald."

Gerald nodded sympathetically, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know, man. You don't have to tell me. I can tell." Gerald frowned, rubbing the back of his neck a little. "And hey, as for feeling jealous and possessive... Well, I know that it seems like that SHOULDN'T be how love should be, but it's part of the package, Arnold. You're going to feel happy, and jealous, possessive, sad, and sometimes you're just plain gonna want to cry... if what I've read from my mom's magazines is correct, anyway... and that's just how love is, Arnold. It doesn't make it right or anything, but it's just something you're going to have to deal with. You know?"

Arnold considered that for a moment, and then nodded. "I guess you're right. That makes sense. ...Well, anyway, let's go back to the table, okay?"

Gerald held him back by the shoulder with his hand, looking at him firmly. "Only if you promise not to freak out on me if anything weird like that happens again, okay? It's almost just as uncomfortable for me as it is for you, so just keep that in mind. Okay? And before we go back, again, I'd like to warn you of some other guys you're gonna want to watch your back for, okay?"

"Okay, Gerald. I'll keep it in mind and...wait, what do you mean by that?"

Gerald looked away a bit awkwardly, a bit afraid of what he knew was inevitably coming. "Well, since I've been such close friends with Pheebs, she's told me a few things about Helga and a couple other boys... if you know what I mean." He gave him a meaingful look, hoping he'd get it

"..." Arnold was appalled. "Helga and _other boys_?"

Gerald slapped a hand over his mouth to quiet him down, putting a finger over his lips to signal for him to keep quiet. "Shhh, man, not so loud. But yeah, Helga's had a few little flings with a few other guys... One of them you already knew about, but I'm sure you've probably completely forgotten about by now... I was going to talk to you about this after dinner tonight during our sleepover, but since we're already talking about it here and now and you seem to be having some problems with this stuff, I figure it might be as good a time as any." He shrugged.

"Helga's...been with _other boys_?" Arnold demanded, his voice muffled.

Gerald shushed him again, looking around to make sure no one was looking at them. He quietly led Arnold over to the men's room and shut the door quietly behind them before turning to Arnold blankly and answering, "Yes."

"_Who_?" Arnold wanted to know, getting steamed. Not at Gerald, but at the situation, and whoever dared laid their undeserving hands on Helga!

Gerald just shook his head at his best friend, having known this was going to happen but unable to resist the urge to be a bit annoyed by it. He sighed, leaning against the bathroom wall as he explained. "Okay, according to Phoebe and my own memory banks, Helga's 'been' with three guys before you came skipping in with your big, stupid grin. And those guys are Stinky, Harold, and, big shocker, Ronnie Matthews."

"...And I actually helped Stinky get back with her." Arnold realized. "And Harold? Harold? When did that happen? ...And how in the world did she get with Ronnie Matthews?"

Gerald just sighed again, attempting to patiently explain. "Well, according to Phoebe, from what Helga told her, you remember that one field trip to the Chocolate Factory where Helga and Harold got lost together? Well, apparently during their little 'adventure,' Helga ended up saving Harold's life and he told her that he thought he loved her. And then afterwards, they went to Wrestlemania together."

"But he's older than her! That's just wrong!" Arnold grimaced at this.

Gerald just shrugged. "I'm just tellin' you what I was told, Arnold. And according to Helga through Phoebe, that's what went down. He even hugged her."

"HUGGED her? ...No wonder. She can be so huggable. I-I mean...he doesn't deserve her!" Arnold held his head again. "...And what happened with Ronnie Matthews?"

Gerald smacked his lips a little, trying to ignore his friend's jealous tirade for the moment. He'd deal with it once he was done explaining off the guys he had to look out for. "Well, according to Phoebe, Helga was hung up on Ronnie Matthews for quite a while. The story is that Helga hated Ronnie Matthews, but when Phoebe won that contest to go meet him, she dragged Helga along with her, and Helga and Ronnie ended up having a lot in common and bla bla. Helga ended up getting a little crush on him, and according to Phoebe, even Ronnie seemed kinda fond of Helga _himself_."

"...He's more than ten years older than her! He can't possibly get romantic with a child! That's really creepy!"

Gerald rolled his eyes massively. "Says the guy that was all hung up on a thirty year old teacher AND a sixth grader."

"Hey, I've learned my lesson in that, Gerald." Arnold groaned. "But this is serious! Who does he think he is? Helga's just a child!"

Gerald just shrugged. He didn't know what to say.

"...What am I saying, Ronnie and her have a lot in common and like each other, don't they? And he can give her so many things I can't. I can't even drive!"

Gerald, at this point really trying to keep his total amusement from showing, just decided to hold out a TEENSY bit longer (just to see what would happen) and shrugged again. "Not to mention the fact that he has actual muscles and a deep, Spanish tan."

"That too! Oh, what was I thinking? How I can prove to be good enough for her when I can't even tell her I'm in love with her? ...Ronnie may be older than her, but who am I to argue with love?" Arnold groaned and looked down at the floor sadly. "She might even pretend I'm Ronnie because she misses him."

Gerald, full on snickering at this point behind his hand, went on in an overly strained voice (trying to hold back his laughter), "Y-Yeah, man... and not to mention that thick Spanish accent of his and how you can barely even understand what he's saying half the time." He chuckled a little unavoidably.

"Gerald, it's not funny. What if they're meant for each other, but are torn apart by their age gap?"

Okay, that one... Oh, Gerald just couldn't take it anymore. He fell straight away to the floor in full out laughs, practically convulsing on the ground.

"Gerald! Why are you laughing?" Arnold wanted to know. "This isn't funny! I didn't know Helga liked other boys or even Ronnie! If she would rather be with him than me, then why should I hold her back just because I'm jealous?"

Gerald, still laughing insanely, managed to get out a few words somewhat coherently amidst his laughs, "Arnold... Helga... She didn't even... She got over..." He chuckled, wiping some tears from his eyes and sitting up, finally able to speak an actual SENTENCE, "Arnold, Helga got over Ronnie within like a week because he never called her back or cared about her in the least. Heck, he even got a girlfriend and announced it on live television just a few days after having met her. Helga can barely stand Ronnie AGAIN." He laughed.

Arnold blinked a few times, utterly perplexed. Especially at how stupid he was acting there. How could he have not known that? How could he have said such stupid and irrational things? Why was his jealousy and paranoia getting the better of him? ...It was all part of love, as Gerald said. He just had to deal with it. "...So...she doesn't like him at all?"

Gerald, still grinning down on the ground, just shook his head an affirmative 'no.'

"...Oh." Was all Arnold could say.

Gerald just chuckled, standing up off the of the floor and dusting himself off a little bit. "It's okay, Arnold. I can't exactly blame you. I've seen worse." He shrugged, though, of course, still grinning.

"...Man, I really am letting all this get to me." Arnold held a hand to his forehead. "...Come on, let's just go back to the table now."

Gerald grabbed his arm, though, once more. "Wait, man, there's just ONE more that I might have left out. I'll tell you if you want, but I seriously doubt he's too big of a threat to you for Helga's affections, but he IS a sort of factor." He shrugged.

"...There's more?" Arnold groaned.

Gerald, grinning at the funny reaction, just nodded. "Yeah, yeah, man, just one more. I wasn't going to tell you this one 'cause I thought it was kinda stupid to mention, but I think you might appreciate the irony of it."

"The irony? What do you mean?"

Gerald chuckled. "Brainy." He said simply.

"...Brainy? Brainy? BRAINY!"

Gerald blinked in shock at this over-the-top reaction, recoiling back just a bit. "Yeah, man, what?"

"...I tried to help Brainy get together with Helga! Back when we had done the e-mail assignment, when I liked Mary Margaret and thought she was e-mailing me but it turned out to be Siobhan." Arnold recalled. "Brainy was talking about HELGA. And she thought it was a cruel joke I pulled on her, but when it actuality it was Brainy who loved her."

Gerald blinked at him in surprise. "Wait a minute... so this whole time you KNEW Brainy was in love with Helga?"

"It was a strange mix-up, Gerald. But I didn't know exactly. And now I really know." Arnold recalled, and sighed. "I almost got them together."

Gerald blinked very slowly... before laughing out loud. "OH, man, that's even more ironic than just the basic picture of the quiet, creepy Brainy suddenly FEELING things!" He laughed loudly.

"Hey, Brainy is still a human being! He's just quiet and introverted." Arnold protested. "...I guess I really can't be too surprised. I don't know much about him, but I know he likes poetry, and I know Helga likes poetry too." A thought occurred to him then, and Arnold paced a bit, thinking. "Wait a minute. That means...that means Brainy actually liked Helga far longer than I did. ...That means he..." Now he looked utterly broken. "He loves her more."

Gerald shrugged, still laughing a little. "Well, from what I heard from Phoebe, Brainy's been in love with Helga for years, tracing all the way back to kindergarten. He's been her stalker for YEARS." He shrugged, just assuming Arnold already knew all this and continuing on, "But anyway, man, yeah, he's liked her longer, but whatever-"

"Stalker? And since Kindergarten?" Arnold palmed his face again. "And I barely liked her two months now. I already feel down knowing Helga doesn't feel that way, but to have to live with that for six years? That's...crazy."

Gerald just blinked, just piecing together in his head that Arnold apparently DIDN'T know after all. "Well, I don't know, man. According to what Phoebe said, Brainy's been koo koo for Helga for years. Although, Helga doesn't seem to know or care to figure it out, though. But wait a minute, you said Helga thought it was all a cruel joke and that it was actually Brainy that loved her... What are you talking about?" He scratched his head a little.

"Brainy came to me, saying that he wrote an e-mail confessing his love to her. But she thought he was someone else, I don't know who, but she wrote back to him saying she loved him back, thinking he was some other boy. Brainy was surprised, thinking she knew it was himself, and he came to me asking for help. I was shocked and I didn't know what to do, but eventually I got into helping him out. I went with him to meet Helga there, which she said for "Golden Hero" to have a flower on him so she'll know. For some reason she didn't see him and ignored him, and was thinking I was Golden Hero." He shrugged. "But when she saw it was Brainy, she got angry and thought we had pulled a cruel joke on her."

Gerald blinked, an eyebrow raised. "That... is weird..."

"I know it's weird, Gerald. But I guess I kind of underestimated everything and...well I felt bad she thought it was a joke, and I felt bad for letting Brainy down. I guess he...really does love her a lot. I'll bet she could too if she ever gave him the chance. They seem to have a bit in common." He sighed then.

Gerald, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the very unexpected turn this whole thing had gone, just continued on a bit with what he'd been told, "Well, like Phoebe said, Helga really doesn't feel that way about Brainy. But according to what you said, it sounds to ME like Helga is hung up on some other guy if she's just been completely ignoring Brainy for six years. Normally girls immediately latch onto guys that like them. But instead, Helga's pushed away every guy that's ever shown interest in her - Stinky, Harold, Brainy... There's a pattern goin' there, man. She's rejecting everybody in her path. That only happens when a girl is already hung up on someone."

"...That's true, isn't it?" Arnold realized, blinking. "But who could she possibly like? She hasn't even mentioned anything like it. I mean. well, not that I'd pry into her private matters, of course. But I don't know, unless this guy doesn't go to our school or is in another class, I'm pretty stumped."

Gerald just blinked blankly, completely flabbergasted with how utterly dense his best friend could be.

"...Anyway, let's go back to the table, Gerald. I think we've kept them waiting long enough. Besides, I really need to mull this over." Arnold opened the door to leave the bathroom.

Gerald just shrugged, following him out. "Whatever, buddy."

Arnold breathed out deeply, deciding to just stay calm and not let this get to him now. It was time to just be cool, be sophisticated, and not think about this kind of thing. Not now. He didn't want to further ruin anyone else's evening, especially not Helga's.

"Sorry about that." He said upon their return. "We had A LOT to talk about. Sorry, Helga."

"It's all right." Phoebe assured. "Is everything okay?"

Gerald smiled at her, sitting down. "It is now."

Helga just frowned at Arnold. "I thought you said you weren't going to leave me. You were gone for like twenty-five minutes. Our food is cold."

"I'm so sorry, Helga." He stood before her and held her hand. "I never meant to keep you waiting. I really didn't. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Keeping you waiting was inexcusable, and I'm really sorry."

Helga stayed frowning for a couple more seconds, even almost scowling... before her face instantly lit back up and content again. "Okay. I forgive you. So who's up for dessert?"

"I would like some dessert." Phoebe said.

Arnold smiled in relief, and kissed her hand before sitting back down. "Sure, dessert sounds good."

Helga smiled, suppressing a small sigh at his kiss, and looked down at the menu. "Great. So let's see what they've got here..."

"I would like some crepes, Helga." Phoebe said. "Do they have crepes on the menu?"

"I'll have some chocolate mousse cake." Said Arnold, looking a little bashful as he fell back into nostalgia. "It's so delicious here, it really is."

Helga giggled at Arnold's choice of dessert and smiled at him flirtatiously. "Yes, we'll definitely be getting mousse cake again. And sure, Pheebs, we can get crepes. And I myself am kind of curious about the creme caramel stuff, so I'm gonna get some of that for us all to try. And then lastly, some old, smelly, runny cheese cake for Geraldo." She laughed.

Phoebe couldn't help but giggled at that.

"Oh ha ha." Gerald rolled his eyes. "Real funny."

"Oh come on Gerald, it's pretty funny." Arnold chuckled.

"Congrats, Helga. You got yourself a Yes Man." Gerald muttered.

Helga pumped her fist in the air, still staring at the menu with a grin. "WHOO!"

Phoebe giggled.

"A 'Yes Man'?" Arnold blinked, confused.

"A yes man is someone who blindly agrees with what everyone, usually the person they follow, says or does." Phoebe explained.

Helga laughed. "And in English, that basically just means you agree with everything I say because I'm just that awesome."

Arnold looked a little surprised before he laughed a bit. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"AHA! You see?" Gerald laughed. "You have become Helga's own Yes Man!"

Helga grinned proudly, bringing an arm around him. "Well, of course he has. He's my best friend. Phoebe's my best friend. And all my best friend's just can't help but agree with me at all times, because I am always right. Isn't that right, guys?"

Phoebe, giggling uncontrollably at this point, just answered weakly, "I-Indeed, Helga."

"Of course, Helga." Arnold beamed and brought an arm around her waist. "It's hard not to."

Gerald turned to Phoebe and patted her hand. "But you're still awesome too, babe."

Phoebe giggled once more, and blushed shyly. "Thank you, Gerald..."

Helga, likewise just blushed a bit shyly, though she DID have a bit more confidence at the moment than her small friend, so she managed to lean herself further into him and smirk into his face, stroking his chest again. "Yeah, and plus Arnold is a guy. I can totally seduce HIM into always saying I'm right." She was clearly just joking around, if the large grin on her face was any indication.

Gerald snickered. "You don't know how right you are. ...For once."

Arnold blushed heavily, knowing that was true. And before he could stop himself, he whispered into her ear, "You can seduce me anytime." And then turned away to sip his water casually.

Right when Helga was about to mouth off to Gerald, Arnold had delivered this whispered reply and totally short-cirtcuited her brain for a good few seconds... Finally, though, she managed to find her brain again and she shook her head, turning back to Arnold. "Oh? Is that so? Well then, admit that I'm the greatest thing since catnip _or else_..." She smirked playfully.

Arnold chuckled and smiled adoringly at her. "You're the greatest thing since catnip." He said honestly. "Meow."

Helga could only blink in surprise, having not expected him to admit to that so easily.

"What's wrong, ma cheri? Are you at loss for words...?" He then looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

Helga just blinked, before shaking her head and looking at him, still a bit surprised. "Oh, nothing. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be that easy." She giggled.

"Well, you'd be surprised, I guess." Arnold glanced away again, blushing a bit.

Helga smiled. "I am surprised. I guess you really are my Yes Man." She chuckled.

_I guess that's all I can be to her. Her best friend and yes man._ Arnold thought glumly, but decided not to dwell on it right now. "Well, what can I say...you just have that power."

Helga beamed proudly, running her fingers up his chest, one by one. "Yes I do." She smirked.

Arnold shuddered a bit, and drummed his fingers along her waist flirtatiously. "Wouldn't have it any other way." He whispered to her.

Helga let her eyes fall half-lidded, and she jokingly ran her hand up and down his arm before bring it up to the back of his neck and twirling a few of his hairs around her fingers, just waiting for a reaction.

Her action made him blush, and in response he stroked her side a little, marveling the soft feel of her dress.

Helga giggled at his obviously captivated look and grinned, just continuing to caress his head. "Well, there you have it. You are not only my best friend and Yes Man... you are also my love slave." She beamed.

"Love...slave? ...I'm your love slave?" Arnold managed, surprised, and his eyes brimmed with hope. "...You want me to be your love slave?"

Helga beamed at him. "I don't want you to be, you ARE. It's a simple fact of life nowadays. You are my little footbal headed love slave." She touched the tip of his nose ever so gently and affectionately with the end of her finger.

"...Good point, Helga." Arnold smiled, and took her hand, kissing it. "I guess that's true."

Helga grinned. "Of course it is."

"You guys want any dessert?" Jack enquired as he came back to the table.

Helga just waved him off with a, "Yeah, and some caramel creme and cheesecake, Jack." She turned around to him then and grinned, fluttering her eyelashes. "Please... my love slave here gets so impatient."

Even Gerald couldn't help bursting into laughter, and Phoebe giggled behind her hand.

Arnold blushed immensely and Jack chuckled as he jotted down their orders.

"Awesome then, I'll be back." He grinned at them before leaving.

"I don't get impatient..." Arnold murmured.

Helga giggled, running her fingers through his long tufts of hair. "Oh, sure you do. You just don't know you do." She giggled.

"Helga..." He chuckled, unable to help himself.

"Well, you are her yes man. Arnold." Phoebe giggled uncontrollably. "It's quite adorable."

Gerald rolled his eyes, despite that he was smiling. "Not to mention gag worthy."

Helga giggled, caressing his cheek. "What do YOU think Arnold?" She asked sweetly, staring him into the eyes.

Blushing hard, and feeling bold, Arnold leaned to her and pecked her on the mouth, chuckling to himself. "Guess I still won't have it any other way."

Helga chuckled, running her hand down his neck slowly. "Well, that's why you're MY love slave. Because... you know..." She blushed a little, fingering around the light, blonde hairs on the side of his neck.

Oh, her fingers in his hair and neck! It was heaven. Whatever happened to them, he sure didn't want to go back. "Because you know...what?"

Helga shrugged, her fingers working along his neck and then drifting up ever so slightly to caress his ear and even the sensitive part just behind it and around his hairs. "Oh, you know... that we love each other..." She said it so easily, as if it were nothing new, just obvious, every day knowledge...

Gerald immediately looked to them in shock. Were they FINALLY going to admit it?

"Yeah, that's true..." Arnold murmured, playing with her hair as well.

Helga giggled, thinking he knew exactly what she meant (which wasn't true in the least), and just trailed her fingers down his neck to trace his spine, giggling all the while. "Exactly. And therefore, you are my little love slave..." She smirked devilishly.

Phoebe couldn't help exchanging a surprised glance with Gerald.

"Well, no reason to defy nature, right?" Arnold stroked her side again, smiling adoringly and blushing a bit more.

"Dang..." Gerald murmured, still wide-eyed.

She couldn't help but blink at that one, not quite understanding him, but in no way stopping her minestrations. "Oh, and what does that mean, Arnoldo?" She traced her fingers back up his spine this time.

"Well...um..." He blushed hard, looking away a bit.

Helga was persistent, though, and really just wanted to know. She brought her hand away from his back and used it to turn his head to look into her eyes, and though she didn't mean to, she was looking at him very compassionately and sweetly. "Come on, Arnold, you can tell me."

"It's like you said, it's kind of...natural, I guess."

Helga smiled, shrugging as she stroked her hands through his hair more. "Yeah, I suppose. It's definitely nothing out of the ordinary, right?"

"Not to us it isn't, that's the point. And well, if it works...it works." Arnold played with her hair some more too. "That's what matters."

Helga smiled. "That's right, love slave. There's nothing wrong with loving someone as a friend."

"...No, not at all..." Arnold murmured, smiling at her coyly.

Helga nodded, smiling. "Yeah."

"Here's your desserts!" Jack came back to the table, placing their desserts on the table. "Enjoy 'em!"

"Thank you, very much!" Phoebe exclaimed happily.

Helga removed her arms from Arnold completely and picked up her own plate of it, staring at it with hungry eyes. "Yum..."

Gerald grinned. "Cheesecake! Sweet! ...literally!"

Phoebe giggled behind her hand. "It all looks very delicious."

_Kind of takes me back_... Arnold thought to himself as he once more recalled the first date as he eyed the chocolate mousse cake. That one evening that changed their lives forever. Within each other and together, of course. He smiled a bit at the memory. That wonderful memory...

Helga ate her cake. "Tastes even better than the first time." She smiled.

Gerald ate his cheesecake.

"Really, Helga?" Arnold took a bite of the cake, and felt himself wiggle a little. "Mmm, wow..."

Helga nodded, glancing at him. "I know, right?"

"Yeah, it does." Arnold smiled a bit more. "Oh, Helga. You have a little bit on your lip there." He leaned over and wiped it with his napkin, like before, and the first time too. "There you go."

Helga giggled, and smiled in return. "Thanks, love slave."

"You're welcome...um..." Arnold fidgeted a bit sheepishly. "Love master?"

Helga laughed out loud at that, and then looked over at him with a grin. She grabbed him by his little bow tie and jerked his face nose to nose with her. "You better believe it, buster."

"I-I do believe it..." Arnold murmured, sheepish and yet sweetly.

Helga giggled and stared at him affectionately, petting the back of his head. "You do?"

"Of course, Helga. What kind of love slave would I be if I didn't? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Arnold smiled very fondly at her. "_Ma cheri_."

"_Mon cher_..." She giggled, continuing to pet the back of his head, as if he were her puppy... "You know, I could get used to this whole love slave set up." She giggled. "it's funny and you make a cute love slave..." She pecked him on the nose.

"I'll be anything you want me to be, Helga..." Arnold mentally swooned at her petting, chuckling and blushing a bit.

Helga's eyes fell even more half-lidded, and she petted a little higher up on his head. "Is that so...?"

"Yeah..." Arnold murmured in a lovesick manner, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed at her.

Helga couldn't help getting lost in those green eyes, gazing at her like that. It just made her love him more that he'd started looking at her like that. She didn't know what that look was about, but she loved it... "Oh, Arnold..." She uttered out breathily.

"Helga..." Arnold murmured breathlessly, touching her face gently.

Helga could barely think with how his hands were touching her face, or breathe with how he was looking at her, and she sure as heck wasn't capable of actual MOVEMENT. She just stayed put, uttering out pleasurably, "Arnold..."

"Yes, Helga?" The lovesick boy murmured softly to her, caressing her cheek.

Helga gulped at his gentle touch, and managed to respond quietly, "P-Please don't stop because I ask this... because it in no way means I want you to... but I have to ask... W-What are you doing...?" Her blue eyes connected with his.

"Being a good friend, and love slave." He shuckled a bit, but smiled. "And well, I like being affectionate to you Helga. I can't help it."

Helga flushed entirely, feeling so very humbled by all this... This angellic boy wanted to be affectionate with her because he liked it and just couldn't resist himself... and over her, just plain old Helga... It made her feel so... just so... Oh... "Arnold..." She leaned forward and gave him one, small, but very meaingful and linger peck on his cheek.

Arnold blushed at her sweet action and smiled all the more, and kissed her on the cheek in response as well.

Helga just giggled and shook him off, scooting her chair away so she could eat her cake in peace. She would've stayed there if she'd thought she could control herself and keep herself from licking the chocolate off his lips, or kissing away any smears, or even just wrapping herself up in his arms, but this really wasn't getting her anywhere with him... He kept saying 'friend.' So clearly, that's what he viewed her as. And so she decided that she'd endulged herself enough tonight. Now was the time to enjoy her cake and reflect a bit...

_Phew. They're done!_ Gerald thought. "So, uh...good desserts, huh?"

"Yeah, they are." Arnold felt himself smile as he too did the same, feeling better. Yet there were still lingering thoughts at the back of his mind that continued to bug him. "Really delicious."

Helga nodded, taking a large bite right at that moment. "It's so rich... Simple perfection." She swallowed and sighed, her eyes a little googly... She just hoped no one realized she'd been talking more about Arnold with that last comment than she was about the cake...

"It's all very delicious indeed!" Phoebe finished her crepes. "Wow, I'm very full now."

"Delicious and very sweet all around." Arnold murmured, talking more about Helga than the cake. Not that anyone noticed, he hoped.

Helga nodded in agreement. "Well, great, so everyone satisfied then? No one have anything else to add here? 'Cause this is probably the last time we'll be coming HERE any time soon..."

"I'm fine, Helga." Arnold said, putting his fork down. "I'm pretty full now."

"So am I! No more for me!" Gerald declared.

Phoebe burped. "Oh!" She coughed a bit, trying to cover herself up and blushing quite a bit. "E-Excuse me..." She giggled, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I suppose that was all the answer I needed to give."

Helga laughed, shaking her head. "Okay, great. Garcon!"

"Better out than in I always say!" Gerald chuckled.

Jack came back from a nearby table. "All done here?"

Phoebe just blushed even more, looking practically on the verge of just hiding under the table in total embarrassment.

Helga nodded. "Yes."

"All right then, here you go." Jack handed her the check booklet.

Helga took it from him with a smile. "Thank you, Jack." As the waiter walked away, Helga pulled out her handy dandy coupon and began sliding it into the booklet slot. "And I'll be paying for everything this evening, naturallment." She felt SO fancy...

Phoebe peered over for a moment, and then looked a little surprised. "Um...Helga?"

Helga looked over at her, the booklet still open in her hands and a carefree smile on her face. "Yeah, Pheebs?"

"Um...your..." Phoebe pointed to the coupon when she saw what was written on it, looking at her best friend with worried eyes.

Helga blinked at her a moment, not quite understanding, before she looked back down at the coupon in the booklet and her eyes instantly bulged as she noticed the differing restaurants. "Gah..."

"What's wrong, Helga?" Arnold asked in concern, noticing her gaze.

Helga looked up at him in distress, before looking back over at Phoebe with a wide panicked gaze, seeking her salvation from this dark pit her happy little world had suddenly been emersed in.

Phoebe nodded. "Well...it would seem there was a bit of a mistake here. Helga actually received a coupon for Chez Pierre, right across the street. And it was mistaken for Chez Paris...so, in short, we ate at the wrong place."

Arnold's eyes widened. "Oh...well, gosh. Don't worry about it, Helga. It was just a mistake. We'll just tell them the truth about what happened."

Helga hit herself in the forehead. "OH, Football Head, that'll just get us in trouble. We'll end up washing dishes for HOURS. Our hands will be so pruned up that we'll have old folks hoarding around us for WEEKS afterward."

"But Helga, we should tell them the truth." Phoebe said. "It's all we can do. They should understand, even if we do have to repay our mistake by washing dishes."

Gerald put his foot down at that part, standing up. "Hey, hey. I did NOT come down here to end up washing dishes for hours. I was a GUEST. The only thing I did wrong was trust you guy's judgement."

"Gerald, it was an honest mistake." Arnold reasoned, standing as well. "We all were in this too. Look, let's just tell them the truth. I know it's not fun to wash dishes, but it's the right thing to do."

"If we lie, it will make things worse." Said Phoebe.

Helga hit herself in the forehead. "You two _suck_... And I simply don't get it. How did I, evil manipulator number one, attract YOU two as friends?" She shook her head, massaging her temples.

A hurt look came to Arnold's face and he looked down with a small sigh, unsure how to respond to that.

"Helga," Phoebe interjected. "I know this isn't what you wanted out of this. But we have to tell the truth. If we don't, we'll get in much bigger trouble. Possibly with the law if we're not careful."

Helga's pupils dilated at that. "What? No, no, no, I'm an elementary school bully. I can't go to juvy!" She ran a hand down her face. "Ugggh, I hate moral dillemnas... I have an idea! How about you guys discuss it, and I just sit here and grin like an idiot and nod to whatever you guys say. 'Cause it's late and I'm tired and SO not in the mood for this kind of stress. So converse away!" She grinned.

"Well...I'll go to talk to the manager and explain our situation." Phoebe said. "After all, what happened was nothing more than than a honest mistake. And I will offer that we can pay them back in an alternative way as opposed to washing dishes. Or we can offer to each contribute some money to pay off the total as well."

Helga nodded, grinning.

Gerald just shrugged. "I ain't got no money."

"Well...then I suppose we can go with option one." Phoebe reasoned.

Gerald blinked, smiling. "Sounds good, babe. And I'll go with you." He slid over and put his arm around her, grinning.

Phoebe looked at him with wide eyes and blushed a bit, giggling. "Why, thank you, Gerald. That would be nice. It would help since you could vouch for me."

Gerald nodded, his eyes half-lidded. "You know it, babe."

"All right, then let's go." Phoebe smiled at him appreciatively and stood up from her seat, as he did as well. "We'll be right back, will you two be all right by yourselves?"

"Oh...yeah, we'll be fine, Phoebe." Arnold assured her kindly. "We'll wait here for you guys and then settle the matter however it turns out."

Gerald and Phoebe waved and walked off toward the back of the restaurant to go and request to speak to one of the waiters so they could see the manager.

Arnold meanwhile shifted a bit in his seat, and tugged at his collar nervously. "...Um, Helga?"

Helga looked over at him, finally dropping the grinny look as she looked at him, looking kinda tired. "Yeah, Football Head?"

"I...want to come clean with you about something." Arnold murmured, now looking ashamed. "And in advance, I want to apologize."

Helga had to blink at this, her eyes widening. "What could you possibly have to apologize for? You haven't done anything 've actually been very wonderful tonight, and... Well, I've gotta admit myself... I'm kinda impressed." She looked at him kinda shyly, feeling pretty smitten with him in his cute little suit. "I didn't know you were the sophisticated type..."

Arnold blinked, and blushed a bit, feeling pretty flattered at her sweet compliment. "...Thanks, Helga. That's really nice of you to say. ...But that's the thing. ...I'm really not sophisticated. I was...it was just an act. I was trying to be all cool, suave and sophisticated, like in those movies."

Helga's shy eyes instantly went wide. _'He was... faking_?' "You were? But... why?" She raised one side of her brow at him, not understanding why he'd do such a thing.

_Because I love you and wanted to impress you_. Arnold wanted to say, but instead all that came out was, "Because...I was trying to...impress you."

Helga's already wide eyes went even wider. '_He... I... impress... What?' _"You were... trying to impress me? ...But why would you want to do that?" She blinked, looking on the verge of full on blushing.

"Because...I...I..." Arnold tried to fish for the nerve to just say it. "I..."

Helga watched him intently, her heart pounding at what he might say and ideas and theories all racing through her mind.

"I...didn't want to mess this up. I wanted to impress you, to prove that I could be like a sophisticated and fancy gentleman, since we were invited to a fancy place like this." Arnold looked down now, inwardly scolding himself for not telling the REST of the truth. "I'm so sorry, Helga. I should never have been so dishonest with you. I really...should've just been myself from the start. ...When I see how sophisticated YOU are, it makes me realize just what a big phony I really was, when you were genuine."

Helga's entire being was immediately shot with a million little needles of guilt. "G-Genuine, huh?" She was literally shaking in dishonesty and guilt. Oh, he'd had enough guts in him to admit to having faked it all, and she... Oh, she... _'No, I can't tell him! I can't... that'll just make this entire evening pointless... I wouldn't have impressed him at all then... and this entire night will have just been for nothing...' _But still... he thought she was genuine, and he'd done the same thing, and he'd told her the truth, and she loved him, and... _'Ohhhh, stupid guilt... Worst emotion EVER...' _She looked at him shakily, managing a smirk. "Well then, I guess I'm a better actress than I thought."

Arnold blinked, looking at Helga with surprise and confusion, wondering just what she was talking about. "Huh? What do you mean, Helga?"

Helga finally stopped her shaking, and a new look of determination set in on her face. She looked Arnold straight in the eye, her fists clenched under the table. "Arnold, I lied too. I'm not sophisticated. I faked everything."

"...You did?" Arnold stared at her in surprise. "...Wow, Helga...I never...would've thought. ...Why did you?"

Helga sighed, deflating a bit in defeat, though she still managed to look at him. "I did it because I... wanted to impress you, too." She rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes starting to shift around as she admitted, "We were going to this fancy restaurant, and I overheard that you didn't really think I was sophisticated or feminine at all. And since we're friends now, that kinda just... bothered me, I guess." She shrugged, still looking away and blushing.

"...Oh." Arnold realized, and looked at her sympathetically. He reached over and held her hand. "Helga...you are sophistcated. Just...not quite like what fancy people would think. You don't have to be a fancy woman to be sophisticated. You like poetry, you love Shakespeare, you have a wide vocabulary, you read a lot, you're smart, and you're passionate. ...I think you're very sophisticated. Maybe not in a fancy ballroom way, but...in your own way. And I love that about you."

Helga's heart skipped a bunch of beats, and her breath caught in her throat. "L-Love?" She knew that was probably an odd way to reply to such heartfelt and sweet assurance from him, but it just immediately struck at her mind... and her heart.

"Yeah..." Arnold murmured, and held her hand, playing with her gloved fingers lovingly. "You're wonderful just the way you are, Helga."

Helga's entire face flushed, especially from him playing with her fingers like that. "O-Oh... Thanks, Arnold, and, um... for what it's worth... You're great just the way you are, too. With your giant football head and big, stupid grin..." She giggled, gazing at him a bit. "You're charming, Arnold, and I love you just the way you are. You're the... best friend a girl could have. You don't have to be all sophisticated and classy. I love how relaxed you are and how we can just relax and get a pizza or burger. High maintanence, snotty guys really aren't my thing." She scrunched up her nose. "If I wanted to be friends with someone like that I'd just go out and start hanging with Rex Smyth Higgins or something."

Arnold beamed at her happily, and felt as if he were falling more and more in love with her, if that was possible. "Thanks, Helga. That really means a lot to me. You're really the best friend a guy like me could have too, you really are. ...It's a lot more fun sitting around with a pizza, watching a cheesy horror movie and laughing about random things." He kissed her hand.

Helga smiled at him fondly, savoring the feel of his lips against her hand, even if it WAS against her glove... Having that thought yet again, and hearing that he liked her not being so much the picture of 'sophisticated,' Helga finally just got fed up. She took her hand back from him rather suddenly and pulled off both her long gloves, throwing them down on the table, and she let down her long hair and threw out her headband, then pulled her old pink bow out of her dress and tied it up in her hair; big, pink, and true. Once she was feeling comfortable again, she looked over at Arnold and grabbed him over by his little bow tie, and untied it and unbuttoned his coat.

Arnold blinked in surprise at what she was doing, but he smiled wide as it set in. She was shedding their little facade and showing how they should just be themselves: not fancy restaurant material. And that was just how they liked it. The simple things in life were what made everything special to them.

"Helga..." He marveled softly. "Are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon?"

Unbuttoning the first two buttons of his white shirt (just 'cause), and ruffling up his pressed and ironed coat and shirt with her hands, Helga just answered, smiling, "No, why?" She finished 'messing him up,' and pulled back, pulling back a piece of hair from her face and placing it behind her ear.

"Well, the burger joint not far from Slausen's is having a half-price on everything day tomorrow, and if we go in the middle of the afternoon before dinner time but after lunch, it won't be too crowded. I'll buy! And then if you want we can go back to my place, and watch some fun movies. You know, a way to make up for all this and do what we do best. Would you like that?"

Helga looked extremely intrigued at this little suggestion, and she grinned, reaching over to grab his hand and shake it. "Sounds great to me. It's a date."

Arnold grinned back, extremely elated, and wishing deep down it WERE a date. "Well, great! I'll pick you up at two, would that work?"

Helga nodded, smiling. "Sure. And as a rule, if you show up on my stoop in some monkey suit again, I'll spit on you." She smirked.

"Is that a threat?" Arnold chuckled, smirking back at her.

"Doi."

"So, if I showed up on your doorstep with a ring in hand and a monkey suit on, would you still spit on me?"

Helga's eyes widened at that, and her smirk immediately disappeared. "What?"

"You heard me." Arnold chuckled, smirking playfully, but a grin was eating away at it little by little. He did mean it as a joke, of course, but there was a teeny part of him that just couldn't help but say something like that.

Helga blinked very slowly... She knew he was joking, but... Well, was there even any need for explanation? '_A-A ring...?' _After a few more blinks, though, she finally managed to respond, "Well, yes, I would, but only as a start. After that I'd push you, scream at you, and slam the door in your face... and then call you later to accept your proposal." She smirked.

Laughing, Arnold shook his head and felt himself just want to dance with glee, even if they were just playing a silly joke. "Sounds like something you'd do, Helga."

Helga smirked even broader. "You know me well, Football Head."

"You can say that." Arnold winked at her.

She blushed.

A minute later, Gerald and Phoebe returned, looking immensely relieved.

"All right, everything is settled!" Phoebe announced. "They have allowed us to pay them back in incriments for the next few weeks until the entire bill is paid for."

Gerald blinked at that one, and looked over at her. "Incriments? I thought they said we could just pay them a little bit now and give them the rest little by little for a while until the bill is paid over."

Phoebe giggled. "That's what I meant, Gerald. Now then, do either of you have some money on you?"

"Um..." Arnold reached into his pockets, digging for some change. "I have some change, and a five."

Helga frowned, looking through her purse. "Eh, this thing was mostly just for show, but I did put in a few bucks in case anyone brought it up." She pulled out a couple tens.

"All right then, I have ten dollars on me." Phoebe pulled a ten out of her purse, laying it on the table with Arnold's money. "That should cover part of it tonight."

Helga looked at all the money in front of them now, sitting on the middle of the table. "Criminy. That's thirty-five dollars and some odd change, and even THAT doesn't hardly cover our bill." She stood up from her seat, rolling her eyes. "Geez, that's the last time I eat at this place. The food isn't delicious enough to be handing over half of my college fund just for a little duck and some pasta. _Criminy_..."

"Well, it's all we can do for tonight, Helga." Phoebe murmured, shaking her head. "But at least we don't have to wash dishes, right?"

"That's one way of looking at it." Arnold agreed, standing up.

"Whatever..." Helga muttered dryly, stuffing her gloves into her little purse. "I just want to go home, wash off this make up, and go to bed." She grabbed Arnold by the arm and linked hers with his. "Come on, love slave, it's a long walk home."

Arnold blinked, and grinned widely, nodding. "Whatever you say, Helga." He turned to Gerald a moment. "I'll meet you back at the boarding house later. I think Phoebe might need someone to walk her home at this hour, anyway."

Phoebe blushed and giggled. "Thank you, Arnold. And thank you for tonight, Helga. Despite everything, it was quite enjoyable." She looked at Gerald fondly.

Helga grinned at her knowingly. "Yeah, it..." She looked to Arnold. "was definitely very enjoyable." She finally managed to drag him completely out of the restaurant, and was now walking down the street with him.

Phoebe giggled and smiled as she watched them depart for a moment, before taking Gerald's hand. "Shall we go as well, Gerald?"

Gerald grinned, trying to ignore the hot stinging feeling in his cheeks, and gripped her hand back. "Sounds like a plan, babe."

Phoebe smiled more and fixed her little sailor hat a bit before she led the way out of the restaurant and out onto the street.

Back with Arnold and Helga, though, Helga was walking casually down the street, her arm linked with Arnolds.

The cool night air felt quite refreshing as they walked along, and despite all that had occurred, it was indeed quite a good evening, even for them.

Arnold looked up at Helga for a moment, gazing at her adoringly, before looking straight ahead. "Helga..?"

Helga, feeling totally content and in love, just looked over at him with relaxed eyes. "Yeah, Arnold?"

"I...I know things kind of messed up, and didn't go as planned, which is a shame, but...for the most part, it was a great evening. I'm...really glad we all came together for this." He murmured, looking away. "I really enjoyed myself."

Helga smiled at him, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Oh, it really wasn't so bad. It was just a little mix up at the end there, and it gave us the chance to admit to having been a couple of fonies and set up a friend date tomorrow. So it all ended well in the end."

Arnold blushed a bit, smiling goofily. "Yeah...that's definitely the brighter side of the whole situation, Helga."

Helga yawned, and used her sleepiness as an excuse to lay her head on his shoulder as they walked. "It was also really great because we got to hang out again. I'm really glad we can hang out as friends like this now, Arnold... I didn't know what I was missing out on all those years I hated you."

"Believe me Helga, I feel the same way. I didn't know what I was missing out on all those years either. ...But well, we're together now, right? I guess that's what matters." Arnold blushed more but happily allowed Helga to rest her head on his shoulder.

Snuggling her head deeper into his neck and closing her eyes, she just allowed Arnold to guide them along the sidewalk to her home. "Yeah... you tried being my friend all that time, but I didn't listen and just pushed you away... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Helga...you can't change the past. All you can do is learn from it."

She smiled at that, and sighed happily, snuggling closer to him as they walked. "And I have, Arnold. Definitely."

Arnold sighed happily too. "I know, Helga. ...And I'm really glad."

"Me too."

The two friends (secretly pining for each other) soon made it to the Pataki household. One light was on in the living room, incidating Big Bob was likely home and watching television. They went to her stoop, and gently let go of each other, much to their dismay.

"So...um...l-like I said, it was...a lot of fun, Helga. Especially since we got to be together again."

Helga nodded, feeling disappointed the night had to end so soon. "Y-Yeah, Arnold, I had a lot of fun... It was kinda like our... first date... the night I realized you weren't such a dork after all." She playfully punched him in the shoulder, stalling as long as she could. She didn't want him to go...

"Yeah...and made me realize things about you, too." Arnold murmured, rubbing the spot. "...That's why I ordered the cake, to bring back a nice memory."

Helga smiled at him shyly, her head bowed down a bit and her face flushed. "Y-Yeah, that's why I ordered it, too... E-Even though the whole romantic thing didn't work out between us that night, I... I still really enjoyed myself. You're a good friend, Arnold."

"I did too, Helga. I really did." Arnold murmured, glancing at her shyly. "I'm actually really glad you snapped up and demanded we go on that date. It's really helped me realized a lot of things. And...you're a good friend too, Helga. I really can't say how happy it makes me that we're best friends like this."

Helga's blush only grew at hearing all this from him, and she glanced down. "I'm really happy we're best friends, too, Arnold..." _'Even if it burns at my soul every minute of every day that you'll only ever love me as a friend_...'

"Even if...we're not exactly normal." Arnold chuckled a bit, blushing at that implication. "Well...people do what works, right?"

Helga shrugged, still feeling sad things were coming to an end. "Yeah... and for some reason, we're just the type of friends that can't keep their lips off each other." She blushed insanely, but held her ground... even managed to look him in the eye.

"I know, we are." Arnold agreed, bringing his arms behind his back and looking her in the eye too. "Helga...if it ever does make you uncomfortable, just let me know and we won't do that again, okay? I-If anything at all makes you uneasy, just telll me."

Helga looked up at him in surprise, blinking. "Oh no, no, Arnold, i-it doesn't make me uncomfortable at all. Nothing you've done, and nothing you could ever do. Trust me, if you ever HAD done anything that bothered me when we were kissing, I would've punched you." She smirked. "But I didn't now did I?"

"...No, you didn't." Arnold murmured, nodding. "And I guess...I would've spoken up if it made ME uncomfortable a long time ago."

Helga smiled, looking up at him under her blonde bangs. "Then I guess we're both okay with it... so..." She took a small step closer to him, her heart pounding.

"So..." Arnold took a step closer to her also, his heart pounding so hard he could practically hear it.

Helga bit her lip, wanting so badly to kiss him but feeling pretty unsure. "Um..." She scooted just a little closer, her pulse racing faster and faster.

_Oh, to heck with everything_. Unable to take it anymore, he stepped over to her, and gently held her cheeks in his hands. Before he could stop himself, he leaned up to her level and kissed her. Sweetly and tenderly, but with a tint of passion.

Helga's eyes widened at him suddenly coming onto her like that, and her hands instantly went to his sides for support, since her knees had instantaneously gone as weak and wiggly as gelatin. "Mmmm! ...Mmmm..." Her eyes fell droopy before finally closing, and the hands on his sides instantly went all around him to his back, holding herself to him.

Arnold shuddered at her response, but his hands took on a mind of their own and reacted faster as they gently buried themselves in her hair. Maybe things weren't exactly what he hoped they could be, maybe she was hung up on someone else, maybe they weren't working out romantically...but at least they had an outlet to relieve tension, right? Was that what this was? Just an extra friendly way to show they cared? And because they happened to enjoy it?

He blushed all the more as they kissed, and felt her coming closer to him, making him jump in pleasure.

Helga very nearly died at his hands gently weaving themselves into her hair, his fingers working themselves into her scalp... it literally felt like it was killing her... Oh, but in the most pleasurable of ways. She couldn't help taking a bit more control of this impulsive situation and pushing him up against her door, her hands working their ways up his tux coat to hold him all the more closer to her... and her rapidly beating heart...

Arnold let out a surprised moan, but made no protest against her actions as his hands lowered to her shoulders for leverage. She was taking control! Oh, how her passion was absolutely intoxicating...

Helga could feel Arnold starting to fall a bit, and so she tightened her hold on him under his coat. She pressed him further up against the door, even almost lifting him up a little, and worked her hands completely up his jacket, running along his back and spine. After such a long, stressful night it felt good to get all this tension off her shoulders... and she was taking full advantage of the opportunity...

He shuddered at her actions and felt himself melting even more, if that was possible. A moan of appreciation for her help escaped him through his nose, and he clung to her shoulders tightly, the straps of her dress being lowered aside to feel the full softness of her bare shoulders.

Helga shuddered quite hard at all of this progressing, and she desperately searched for some way to repay him... Her lips never leaving his, and her tongue having long before worked it's way in through his lips, she worked one of her hands down to untuck his shirt and lay one hand up underneath on the small of his back, just testing the waters... she couldn't help but tremble a bit in unconscionable nervousness over what she was doing... She'd had many dreams of doing this before, but now that it was actually happening, she could hardly believe it...

Her actions made Arnold freeze as he felt the contact of her hand on his bare skin. He shuddered and continued kissing her back heatedly, while his own hands caressed her bare shoulders.

Helga shuddered back, happy he seemed to be responding positively, and began working both of her hands up his back, against his bare skin.

Shuddering in pleasure, he could feel his skin heat up and tingle where her hands touched his back. He'd never imagined this kind of contact before! And yet now...it was something he never expected to like. Not that he would expect her to do that on a daily basis, of course. He groaned at the back of his throat, holding her tighter.

Helga, in response to his groan, just moaned back lightly and ran her fingers down his spine, savoring the feel of his warm, living skin... It made her so happy to have him so close like this... His big, bulky sweater and button up shirt had always felt like barriers to her, and it was so nice to have them gone for once... She worked her fingers into each groove of his spine, delicately, amazed at how much more defined they felt when there were no clothes over them.

Arnold groaned, falling more and more limp, and he continued caressing her soft, bare shoulders lovingly. Her hands on his back were just _burning_, in the best way possible! The need for air was getting to him, and though he hated to pull away from her mouth, he knew he had to.

Pulling back a bit, their lips still touched, but were separated a bit more for the sake of allowing air.

Helga panted quickly and hastily, desperately trying to get her fill of air as fast as possible so she could kiss him again. Her hands still worked along his back, though, and she held him all the more tightly at feeling him nearly slipping from her hold like that. She couldn't help but ask, "A-Are you okay... Mon Cher?"

His breath caught sharply in his throat, but Arnold managed to nod. "Yeah...I'm great. ...A-Are you okay, Helga?"

She just barely managed a nod, still panting. "Uh huh..."

Arnold panted a bit, and he kissed her cheek, then the corner of her mouth, before pulling back a bit. _What a girl... I don't know how she does it or even why she wants to be so passionate with me, but...she's just wonderful at it_. Not just that, but the fact it came from her, Helga G. Pataki, such an interesting girl able to make you feel and see a variety of emotions, and be so wonderful at the same time...

Helga shivered a bit at his lips on her like that, and she held him a little tighter against her as she kissed the corners of his mouth, and along the sides of his head. _'Such a cute football head...' _She thought happily as she finished her last peck, right on his ear, before pulling back a bit herself, her pants finally ceasing. "You're cute in your tux, Football Head..." She whispered with a dazed giggle, pressing him up against the door.

Shuddering a bit, Arnold smiled lovingly at her. "Thanks, Helga. ...You look really pretty in your dress."

She blushed, though a smirk couldn't help creeping onto her face as she mashed their noses together. "You're just saying that..."

"No, Helga. I'm telling you the truth." Arnold murmured. _Ironic, isn't it_...

Helga smiled softly, running her hands gently down his back. "I know..."

Chuckling, and shivering at her touch, he leaned in and touched their lips back together in a sweet, lingering peck before pulling back a bit. "That's good..."

Helga's eyes very nearly rolled back into her head and she almost collapsed herself, but she somehow managed to keep her rapidly shaking knees from giving out on her. She couldn't keep back the small swoon that had been building up in her throat from somewhere deep in her heart, though, and she blushed when it came out. Trying to cover up her small slip, she leaned forward and gave him her own lingering, sweet peck, though of course, this being Helga, there was a fair amount of passion put into it as well. She pulled back after a few seconds, and just snuggled their bodies closer together against the door, never wanting to let him go... "Yeah..." She bit her lip to keep from swooning again. _'Stupid Arnold, making me get all mushy...'_

Lucky for her, Arnold caught the sound but attributed it to her just simply being happy, and a little tired as well. He held her close, taking in her sweet vanilla scent that was mixed within her perfume, and only seemed to add to how intoxicating she really was tonight. "Yeah..." He murmured, tracing her spine through her dress with one hand.

Helga shuddered hard against him at his fingers tracing her spine like that... it was like a line of electric heat and zaps just running up her back where his hand went... It felt almost painful... But the best kind of pain there was, of course. She snuggled her head into his neck, placing a small kiss there, before just resting, her eyes closed, and savoring his presence there in her arms. He smelled kind of like... pineapples tonight. She giggled at the thought.

"Helga..." Arnold murmured, his hand that was on her back now went up to play with her hair as he stared at her adoringly with a half-lidded gaze. "You...smell realy nice." He said lamely for lack of a better thing to say.

Helga swooned lightly to herself at that, tightening her grip on him and laid her head against his chest, snuggling it deep underneath his chin, her hair brushing against his face. "Thanks, Arnold... You smell good tonight, too..." She caressed his back a little with her hand, just enjoying his warm skin under her loving fingertips, and closing her eyes to just savor his warmth.

Some strands of her hair brushed and tickled his face, but he didn't mind at all. In fact, he really liked it, being able to feel its softness and smell its fruity scent. He sighed happily and hugged her closer, keeping one hand to stroke her hair and the other to trace her spine. "You really know how to make things a lot more interesting, Helga. I could never get bored with you if my life depended on it."

Helga, feeling very vulnerable with him in this position, couldn't help but glance her big blue eyes up at him at this, unsure... "R-Really?"

"Yeah, you really do. I have so much fun with you no matter what we're doing. Whether we're just sitting around talking about random things, or we're going somewhere like Dinoland or something. It's like there's always something new."

Helga closed her eyes at that, and sighed with a smile, before snuggling back into him, caressing his back. "I know what you mean... I've never been bored with you either... Mostly you always made me want to yell, but lately since we've been friends, all you've really made me want to do is..." Her words drifted off, afraid to finish that.

"Is...what, Helga?" Arnold asked curiously. He then paused, and shook his head. "Never mind. You don't have to tell me if you'd rather not, Helga. I won't force you."

"...I've just wanted to hug you and hang with you, okay?" She lied. "I've never had a friend like you before, that's so kind and genuine about everything he does... Or who makes such a great love slave." She giggled, snuggling into him more.

"Oh...okay, Helga." Arnold chuckled as he processed this, holding her closer and feeling himself smile. "Well, I do my best, I guess. And well, I've never had a friend like you before either. You're so exciting and energetic, it becomes very infectious."

"Yeah, and you're really mellow and down to Earth... it makes me feel a little more sane when I'm around you." She gave his chest a little kiss, right over his heart.

Arnold shuddered a bit at her action and blushed some more. "I never realized how much our differences really balance us out pretty well. It's kind of interesting, isn't it?"

Helga grinned to herself at that, her head snuggled into his neck to hide her giddy expression from him. "Very... I guess that's what makes us such a great pair..." _'Oh, Arnold... my love...'_

"It does..." Arnold felt himself smile a lot wider, as he lay his own head against hers. "Who would've thought, huh?"

Helga smiled a bit more at that, sighing against his neck in love. "Yeah... Arnold and Helga... once enemies, and now best friends, kissing on my stoop... under the moonlight, far away from the peeking, judgemental eyes of our classmates... _C'est La Vie_..." She traced a little heart over his chest with her finger, still snuggled into him tightly against the door.

Her use of French made his eyes pop open. And for a moment, it was as if he heard..._Cecile_? But then he shook his head and brushed it off, not to mention shuddering at her action of tracing along his chest. Was that a heart? "Yeah...th-that's true, Helga... it's great what's happened between us, it really is."

Helga nodded slightly against him, melting into him more and more. "Oh, Arnold..." She couldn't help but say lovingly, stars before her eyes. "I love you..." Her eyes popped open then, and she stiffened slightly, though not enough for him to notice. _'Uh... Come on, Helga, think of something QUICK_!'

Arnold's eyes opened, and he looked down at her with both confusion...and hope. Or did she just mean it as friends again? "Helga?"

Helga gulped, not looking up at him as she asked innocently, "Y-Yes?"

"...What did you say?" He murmured, though he heard very well what she said.

"O-Oh, just that, you know, I love you, of course." She laughed nervously, hoping he wouldn't question her. '_I just know there's an obvious way out of this, but I... I can't think of it_...' Her head was still spinning in love and sparks from having him so close, and she was feeling unbelievably dazed. It was a wonder she could think or speak at all.

His heart jumped. Maybe this was it. Maybe just maybe, it all worked. And she felt the same way? Was it finally happening? Going for it, Arnold pulled back just a bit, and gently liftened her face so she would meet his gaze. "...I love you too." And he hoped she would catch the meaning...and yet hoped she wouldn't, in case she just meant it as friends again.

Helga's eyelashes fluttered at this, and she couldn't help but take him seriously, as if this were one of her fantasies and he was just a dream... a very handsome, beautiful dream... "Y-Yeah, I know..." She blushed a little, leaning up towards him a little.

Now Arnold's eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat. "...Y-You do?"

Her brain still mush, she muttered sweetly, "Well, of course I do." _'You've only told me a hundred times, my dreamy little love_...'

"...Helga...I..." Arnold's grip on her tightened. This was it! He fell in love with her, and she was in love right back! He wanted to dance for joy!

Helga fluttered her dazed eyes up at him, leaning closer. "Arnold..." She muttered softly, adoringly. '_This is such a wonderful dream... I can't recall ever falling asleep, though_...' She mentally shrugged at this, feeling his breath on her lips. She shivered slightly in anticipation.

Almost instantly, Arnold threw his arms around her waist and kissed her tenderly, lovingly and with so much happiness! Finally, the love he wanted to feel with her was returned! He was so happy!

Helga moaned in surprise, before closing her eyes and leaning into his kiss, her back leg extending up on instinct as she kissed him.

Unable to help himself, he held her closer, and then in a dramatic but slow fashion, dipped her back a bit, holding her securely as he continued to kiss her lovingly.

Helga's eyes popped open at his passionate move, and her back popped a little out of nowhere. She moaned in pain, although to Arnold it sounded like pleasure. _'Oh, my back... that hurt_...' Her eyes widened. '_Hurt...? But... you can't feel pain in dreams... and that means...' _She squealed a little at the back of her throat, gripping him tighter in surprise and shock and horror and confusion and-'_CRIMINY, WHAT IS GOING ON?_'

Sensing her anxiety, Arnold pulled back and straightened her quick, now suddenly concerned. "Helga? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Helga looked at him with wide eyes, her jaw dropped a little. "Um, uh... n-nothing, I was just... surprised. I, uh... didn't expect that..." _'Okay, Helga old girl, it's okay... you know how to get out of this... just __relax_...'

"...Sorry, Helga. I got carried away." Arnold managed, and smiled a bit. "Are you okay?"

Helga nodded, blushing insanely at everything, and taking a small step back from him so she could think a bit more clearly. "Um, yeah, I'm fine." She looked down shyly.

"Okay then, that's good." Arnold said in relief, wondering why she was backing away.

_'Okay, Helga, this is... this is all just crazy... so...' _"Um, so..." She looked back up at him, biting her lip. "Th-Thanks for the night out, Football Head. I had a great time."

"Well, thank you for inviting Phoebe, who invited Gerald, who invited me." Arnold chuckled a bit, bringing his arms behind his back. "I-I had a great time too, Helga."

Helga couldn't help but gaze at him a little at this cute little reply... before she shook her head. '_Mayday, mayday... Abort, abort. This isn't working! Get OUT of here now before you try to kiss him again_!' She gulped at this, taking yet another step back from him and taking a deep breath. "That's great, Arnold! So we both had a great time, I love you, you love me, and everything's wonderful! I'll see you tomorrow for our date-Er... whatever!" She fumblingly got her key out of her purse and stuck it into the lock, opening up the door.

"Oh, yeah...see you tomorrow, Helga." Arnold managed and smiled, waving his hand a bit. "Um...I'll call you!"

Helga quickly scrambled into her house, and stuck her hand out to give Arnold a little pat on the shoulder. "Sure, Arnold, whatever. You call me, I call you, whatever works. Well, see you later, Best Friend!" And with that, the door was slammed shut in his face with a startling woosh of air.

Blinking, Arnold stared at her door a moment, unsure of what to think now. What was going on? He shook his head and descended down the steps of her stoop, casting one more glance at her house, and letting out a lovesick sigh before he headed off down the street.

Helga, on the other side of the door now, instantly slid down it and sighed out in relief. "That was a CLOSE one... Criminy... I need to learn how to control myself better and keep my head above water if I want to keep making out with Arnold like this." Shaking her head to herself, Helga stood up and ascended the stairs to her room, deciding a good night sleep was just what she needed to clear her head...


End file.
